Sakura's Glasses
by Tobee
Summary: What if Sakura unintentionally develops a personality similar to Uchiha Obito's? How would Kakashi feel upon seeing her wear his goggles? What if Kakashi mentors Sakura out of nostalgia for his old teammate, and she learns the chidori instead of Sasuke? What would happen when Tobi finds out? (Not a time travel or self insert but follows & changes Naruto storyline. Plot/adventure)
1. Sakura's Glasses

**Summary of this story:_  
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_First 10 chapters: Happy, happy, humor, humor ~  
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_Next 10 chapters: WTF are you doing to Sakura, Obito?! _

_Next 10 chapters: Oooooooooooo..._

_Next 10 chapters: ...shit. _

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**Actual Story Chapter 1:**

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Sakura walked through a normal street of Konoha and entered a normal ninja shop. She was looking to restock her red dresses but a pair of square-shaped red glasses from the shelves caught her eyes.

"Well...My vision is perfect," She tried to convince herself, "And I don't think Sasuke-kun would approve."

She turned to leave, outfit forgotten, but was stopped by the store owner. "Sakura-san,"

"Eep! How do you k-"

"Glasses..With the technology to enlarge distant figures or even small text...And maybe see chakra...Record things...an-"

"I'll take it!" Sakura stammered before she could stop herself.

That night, for once in her fangirl life, nerdiness defeated vanity and Sakura went home wearing a pair of new, cool glasses!

And she absolutely loved them, and the next day when she approached Sasuke again to be given a moment's glance before the daily cold shoulder, Sakura was at first depressed, before realizing nothing's really changed! Heck, maybe it was progress! Sasuke-kun did look at her for five seconds longer than he did on average. And the bonus was: The glasses made her see better!

And having relented into personal desires once, she'd do it again, and again, and again.

This one, incredibly simple, forgettable encounter, was the first step Sakura took towards losing her talent in abstinence. Over time, she would no longer resist the urge to pull pranks, resist the urge to cut classes, resist the urge to sleep in class, resist the urge to focus on more-fun things that didn't revolve around her goal of true love.

She would give into her personal desires again, which would make dieting for her near impossible (if she saw yummy ice cream, she would eat it, even though she knew she could get fat and turn off Sasuke; then again, she did the same thing with the glasses and that made no difference in Sasuke's treatment towards her, so she might as well enjoy that ice cream!)

Inadvertently, this...was the start of a Sakura with the willpower rivaling Naruto's and the ambition rivaling Sasuke's.

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_Review your favorite chapters__ :)_


	2. The Silver-Haired ANBU

The next day, Sakura woke up early and pulled on her red dress.

She was about to forgo the glasses out of embarrassment but after realizing they were a matching red, they weren't that bad. Maybe no one will notice an ugly difference since the colors matched, or something like that. She grabbed the electric glasses and pulled them over her eyes.

Suddenly, her vision amplified.

She'd even say she developed the Sharingan, but that may have been exaggerated since she did just wake up, groggily too. . Scanning the pink wallpapered room with quick eyes, the pinkette decided there was nothing to see here and left through the window. If she came downstairs then she'd be tempted to eat breakfast, and she absolutely knew she wouldn't be able to resist. Not anymore.

Not since she'd lost her self-control over the first time she relented into buying something that went against her beauty morals.

Her thoughts were halted when she realized she was falling from the scary height of the 2nd floor building. Dammit, she'd seen ninja jump from roof to roof with ease and such a quotidian act ingrained into her subconscious before she learned how to pull that off. Crashing into the stone grounds would break her young bones if not mutilate her into an unrecognizable flattened bloody mess.

She shrieked not at the possibility of dying but at the thought of ending up at the hospital, getting no visits, or if she would get visitors, they'd make fun of her forehead and the brain inside it, for jumping out a window for no reason? That was something only _**that idiot**_ would do! Her face turned beet red, swearing she'd never confess anything, not even if Ino-pig's dad got to her.

There was what would have been the barest glimpse of movement, as arms materialized underneath her, two boney horizontal pillars each one pushing underneath her back and kneepits, catching her bridal-style without giving the time to steady her, before whirling her onto the floor. Stumbling forward in an attempt not to fall face-first to the dirt, she looked up and stared straight ahead, trying to see her savior but he was long gone.

Sakura's lower lip quivered.

She moved her hand to wipe at her eyes before anything salty had an opportunity to form but something plastic blocked her access.

Oh right, the pair of-

**THE RECORDING DEVICE.**

She didn't know how to use it and assumed it would take a few hours to learn. But after fiddling with a few connections on the inside with a bit of chakra to her fingers, she managed to press a mental button and rewatch the scene. She saw everything in slow motion. And one distinct trait tugged at her memory.

Silver hair.

There was more to it, more she could do. But she didn't have the time. It would take days or weeks to build up her free time, and each time she'd have to refresh her memory of what she learned from the previous free time she used. for her to understand such a cool, complicated tool because of her lack of time but-what if she sacrificed a few hours right here and now?

Firming her resolve, she headed off the opposite direction of the Academy. She was the top kunoichi in the books, one day wouldn't hurt.

Little did she know she wasn't the only troublemaker cutting class today.

Or what would befall the Uchiha Compound later that day.


	3. Uzumaki Naruto-baka!

Sakura was crouched in a tree overlooking the Uchiha clan compound, a book in hand. She had seen Naruto jump from walls to walls in his escapes from authority after doing stupid things like paint the Hokage Monument. No idea where he learned to do that, but if that idiot could do it, she could too, but better. And just to make absolutely sure she was better than the dead last of the class, she read the next chapter of the book and learned to tree-walk. She performed BOTH techniques perfectly on her first try, but that could be attributed to being right beside her crush's home and having a valid use of the technique.

Setting aside the library textbook on "Chakra Jumping and Climbing," (her nerdiness had rapidly increased ever since getting glasses,) Sakura made a ram seal and chakra ran to her eye-wear to amplify her vision.

She read at least a hundred red flames scurrying about, and pouted.

At this rate, how was she going to get inside?

She needed to have an advantage over Ino-pig and everyone else. She'd win Sasuke's affections if she knew what his family was like or anything else about him.

But she can't just waltz in when she didn't know any Uchiha, and the ones her age were impossible to just simply befriend, hence why she was here.

Suddenly, a pail of slugs was thrust from above into her neck. That slimey goo went inside her red dress and slicked down her back.

Sakura screamed.

A high pitched prepubescent voice screamed with her and a clump of orange and yellow crashed from the same direction onto her body.

So yeah, two "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Then,

"NARUUTO YOU DUMBASS!" PUNCH.

After that was over with, Sakura pulled the back of her dress up and demanded Naruto remove the slugs noming on the skin of her spine.

Naruto hastily obeyed, too ashamed to feel pride that Sakura trusted him enough to showing him her bare back. He made sure to place the slugs back in the bucket.

It was obvious he was pulling another prank, and on her future boyfriend nonetheless. She paused, debating whether to yell a tirade at the orange roach or, well... "Naruto, what were you planning to do with those slugs?"

He looked ashamed, but he wasn't going to lie. "Was gonna put them in their wife's beds 'cuz they all married." He frowned thoughtfully. "Why are you here, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura crossed her arms sternly. Well, at least he wasn't pranking Sasuke. The thought that the prank extended to Sasuke's mother never occurred to her. "I was trying to get inside," Sakura answered without giving her real reason. She bit her lip. "Naruto, you're good at this, so you know how to get in, right?"

She blinked at Naruto's paralyzed form and reached to poke him to confirm if time really froze. But, he jumped. "YATTA! Call me Naruto-senpai and I'll teach ya ALL my best escape tricks ever!"

Sakura grunted begrudgingly. "Naruto-senpai. Now show me."

So he did.

In return, she taught him tree-walking. Because contrary to popular belief, Sakura had morals of her own.


	4. Inner Sakura

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It was finally time.

Naruto and Sakura threw on a background illusion super jutsu over their bodies (In other words they grabbed a blanket that matched the same as the walls and covered their figure before sneaking in.)

Not a single alarm was raised.

After going ten streets past the gate guards who turned away any non-Uchiha, they blended into the crowd of rowdy non-shinobi Uchiha among a few languid off-duty Uchiha Military Police.

Sakura turned to Naruto and hissed, "We should split up."

Naruto looked desperate and whispered loudly, "Don't worry, I won't get you in trouble-"

"Because I'll be at Sasuke-kun's house— to investigate." She cursed herself for adding the honorific.

"Listen, we both have challenging goals of our own. You want to prank the police. I want Sasukekun's love." She placed her hands on her hips. But Naruto seemed to have lost his vigor for the prank, and looked even more crestfallen after she said that.

Sakura had to admit she couldn't have gotten in without his help. Sighing, she decided to sugarcoat it a bit, unable to believe her own words."Naruto, let's team up."

At Naruto's hopeful look, Sakura rolled her eyes, explaining. "You help me win Sasuke over, I bail you out of trouble whenever you get caught, AND help you with your pranks—But only when I feel like it."

"YATTA!"

"Shh, you'll blow our cover, idiot!"

"Ok!" Naruto whispered loudly.

Sakura resisted the urge to facepalm. "Now go do your own thing—I should be stopping you but you helped me and I have my own goals to worry about," and with that, Sakura vanished in the crowd.

And so did Naruto.

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野

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Sakura was glancing left and right and finally slapped her palm to her forehead. "Dammit! I don't even know where Sasuke-kun lives! Now what do I do..."

**Cha! I need to secure a way to come back whenever I want, that's what! **

"Shut up Inner! I need to think—Wait, that might actually be what I need to do first." Sakura paused. "Where have you been?"

**Sleeping, the like. Ever since you got so nerdy you kept dismissing me as schizophrenia. But now that you're thinking of Sasuke-kun, I'm back! **

"Get outta my mind."

**IDIOT! YOU NEED ME. You wouldn't have came up with that by yourself—and get thrown out faster than Naruto. Besides, don't you think two strategic minds work better than one? **

"Okay! Okay! You can shut up because I know arguing with myself is totally stupid so I won't do that."

**Good**.

Sakura's eye twitched.

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サクラ


	5. The Uchiha Elders

An elderly woman who must've been 100 years old was carrying at least 10 bags of groceries and heaving asthmatic breaths. Eep! That poor woman.

Sakura ran towards her and placed her hands together behind her back "A-Ano..." She shook her head. "Excuse me, ma'am. Would you please let me carry some of your bags?"

**Right! This is the perfect opportunity to make an acquaintance and visit the Uchiha compound under the pretense of visiting this person anytime you want! Go for it, cha!**

The old lady turned and smiled toothless. "What a nice young girl."

**She totally bought it!**

Ten minutes later, Sakura was sweating hard and her dress was wet and ripped.** We've been duped!** She leaned her full weight against one of the lamp posts beside the door the bag-less old lady was unlocking, and charged in first, dumping all the bags onto the kitchen floor.

Sakura dropped to the tiled floor and panted hard.

_I can't believe this old lady walked ten feet with all that weight._

**No wonder she has an ugly hunchback**.

_Inner!_

"Thank you for the help, hohoho" The hag was standing on a cane Sakura didn't see before as she too entered the kitchen. "Young people these days don't appreciate the elderly. Now let me prepare something for us to eat."

The grandma proceeded to turn on the cooker and make some soup, frying some eggs at the same time. Sakura considered helping, but the hag forced her to remain seated—on a dining chair in the kitchen—not the floor of course.

"Now what would your name be, dear?"

"Sakura,"

The grandma grinned. "I'm Hana. You can stop by any time, Sakura-chan. You really saved me back there."

For the first time ever since losing every single practice spar, Sakura didn't feel **useless**. Because despite being the number 1 kunoichi of the Academy, no one had every appreciated her contribution before, and perhaps no one ever will—were things to stay the same and she to join Team 7 with her low skill rate—she wasn't going to kid herself. Her taijutsu skills were atrocious despite her textbook perfect stances that not even her teachers complimented her without stepping on thin lies and reassurances.

So to be thanked in such a matter?

A genuine smile blossomed.

"I think I'll come by a lot."


	6. Obito's Goggles

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"Sakura-chan, thanks for carrying my bags."

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"Sakura, thanks for helping me cross this street." **Ok, this one's creepier than the others.**

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"Sakura-chan, thank you for returning my cat from the oak tree. Would you like to get washed?" At a Sakura covered in dirt, bruises, grime, and cuts.

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"Sakura, would you mind helping my friend Sawa?" A mischievous smile crossed the grandma's face. "She's as old as I am~"

"Sure, Hana!"

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"Wait so, you're Sawa-san?"

"Yee that young lady who helped me cross the street!"

"Cool, I'm Sakura. What did you need help with?

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"Sakura, why don't ya help out Shiku's grandfather next?"

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"Oii, what, a little girl wants to help me chop stones?! BWAHAHAHAHAH—*cough**heave*cough*"

"Sir!" Sakura was at his side with a glass of water and patting his back.

"You—*heave* *gulps water* Ya know ya really ain't bad. I'll teach ya how ta help."

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"Sakura, how about yee massage this old lady's brittle bones?"

"Like this?"

"Aaa, good. How's yee cha-chakura control?"

"Pinpoint perfect, madam."

"Ahoho, good. Can't reach ma back so I'll teach yee."

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"Sakura, thanks for fixin' ma wounds, us old people fall down a lot these days,"

"I know, ma'am. It's all thanks to you I don't have to worry about running out of bandages. I can't believe she was a medic nin once!"

"I heard Sawa was teachin' ya and it turns out true. Ya did better than she could and I ain't gonna miss the chance. Ya gonna be with us long term so why not help ya help us better eh?"

"Really? You're really going to teach me too? What do you have in mind?

"Sawa taught yee ta nullify pain in bones but how 'bout me teachin' ya to heal 'em fully? Ya want that don't yee?"

"Cha! 'Course I do!"

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"Sakura, thanks for getting my cat down again. Would you like to shower?—Oh no you don't. You ain't goin' home in that mess. I have a change of clothes ready for you!"

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"Sakura, thanks for bringing my cat down. You can come in."

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"Sakura, thanks."

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"Sakura, thanks!"

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"Thank you, Sakura."

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"Sakura, I appreciate your help very much—Hohoho"

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"Would you like something to eat, Sakura? There's still some rice buns left!"

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"You're really helpful, Sakura!" **_Cha! I'm not useless!_**

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"Hey Sakura-chan, isn't tomorrow your birthday?"

"Eep!"

"You tried to hide it from us didn't you? That isn't very nice when we want to give you a present"

"I know, but you guys retired ages ago and I don't want to pressure you into buying a present or something stupid. I mean, it wasn't like I wasn't coming. You can count on me to come every day, so no worries ma'am."

"Hohoho. Such a sweet girl, right Shiko? Who says we're not simply chipping pieces of ryo together?"

"Eep! Please don't! Don't buy anything expensive! If you insist, just cook some eggs for me—or something!"

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"Goggles?" This was not what she expected. And of all the colors, they were _orange_—like—like Naruto for kami's sake. **Cha! This old hag expects this piece of trash to match my red dress?!**

The old lady nodded. "These goggles are an ancient artifact." At Sakura's dubious expression, Hana continued. "They used to belong to a hero who died protecting the village. His name, Obito Uchiha, is inscribed on the Memorial Stone, as they never found the body."

Sakura's eyes went wide in awe. She looked at the former piece of trash in new light. She removed her red hair ribbon and replaced it with Obito's goggles, still exposing her forehead in that cute way Ino taught her.

Hana sniffed. "In fact, he was like a grandchild to me, to all of us. You remind me a lot like him. He always helped us old people when no one else spared us a second glance. He dreamed of becoming Hokage to make this a better place...No one acknowledged him at the beginning." Hana's voice crackled. "Not even 'til the end." With that, she burst into tears.

Sakura instantly held her, "It's okay—I'm sure he knew you were happy—and he was happy to help—yeah!"

"Now a nice girl like you should really lead our village!" Sawa chipped in.

"Ahahahah, *cough* yeah ya one ta help the weak! Not that these old bones are weak! But if they were weak ya'd haft healed 'em just fine like ya did with Sawa's!"

"Ohoho~my bones feel better than those medic nin's shabby work. All thanks to yee, Sakura."

"Yea, that's what a Hokage should do."

"Sakura, don't you dare use village funds to assign too many D-ranks to help us— we can handle ourselves! Hohoho~"

"Hana, Shin— you guys." Sakura flailed desperately. "There's no way I can become Hokage—"

"Better you than anyone else!"

"Do your best, Sakura!"

"We support you!"

Sakura went home exhausted with a red face that night.

But she also went to sleep with a smile on her face.

Maybe that wouldn't be so bad, if it ever happened. Doubtful.

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Every day after the academy, Sakura returned. But in the end, she never found the time to visit Sasuke's place. Not when all these old Uchiha people needed her help.

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春野


	7. Sakura, late again

"YOU'RE LATE AGAIN SAKURA!" Iruka-sensei's yell matched the one he reserved only for Naruto.

"Eep! Sorry Iruka-sensei, I was helping an old lady cross the street and—"

"Get to your seat!" With that, Sakura slumped down onto the only empty seat which was beside that orange idiot.

"Yo!" She saluted sarcastically.

"Heya Sakura-chan! I haven't seen ya for a while and noticed you going to the Uchiha compound everyday and thought to drop by at Sasuke's but didn't see you there-Whoa are those new goggles?! YATTA!" Naruto jumped outta his seat and fistpumped the air, which sucked all the students' attentions from Iruka-sensei.

"NARUTO SIT DOWN!" Sakura and Iruka chorused.

The class returned to their work, seeing nothing of excitement and by now adapted to Naruto's antics.

"I agree that my goggles match yours as far as outfits go—But yours look hella more retarded than mine! And that doesn't mean you get to hang out with me unless you plan to help."

"Help with what?"

"Oh, Hana and the others after school."

"Those old creeps who recoil at the sight of me? HELL NA!" Naruto crossed his arms for emphasis.

"BAKA!" Sakura grabbed Naruto's face, pinching and pulling at his cheeks. "They're actually pretty nice!"

"Nuuu—Dey Gimme Cold Luuks!" Naruto flailed outta her grasp.

"Hmph. In that case don't get in my way." Sakura turned away with her arms crossed stubbornly.

"But Sakura-chan! Wasn't I supposed to help you get um..-Sasuke-teme?"

"Sasuke-" She raised an eyebrow. "-KUN." Sakura stood up. "My gosh! How could I've forgotten about him!?" Sakura's eyes shot towards the cute boy a few rows down at the leftest collumn. He was sitting beside Ino-pig. The pig was making cute expressions at him and every then and now shooting Sakura glares and confused looks at the same time. How dare she!

"SAKURA SIT DOWN!" Iruka shouted and Naruto whispered loudly at the same time.

Sakura sat down, her face red. The class laughed. Dammit, now she was going to get bullied later. She shot a glance at Ami, the lead bully, who was whispering profusely to her girls who glanced at Sakura with mean looks.

Sakura slammed her forehead to the table. Where was karma when she needed it?

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春

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The bell rung and class had ended unproductively, not that Sakura missed much. She'd read ahead on the lessons anyway.

Naruto had already charged ahead, probably off to play some stupid prank. Good, there's no way she'd embarrass herself in front of that idiot-or worse, have said idiot play the hero and rescue her. She could handle herself!

With that, Sakura pulled her protective orange goggles over her glasses and walked outdoors to face the girls.

Her suspicions were correct, the gang of them were waiting for her.

"Big forehead!"

"Four-eyes!"

"Copying Naruto!"

"Nasty fashion sense!"

"At least that ribbon looked better than trashy goggles!"

"What are you doing, going to Sasuke's place everyday?! I'll make you never want to show your pretty face to him again!" Ami marched up and punched Sakura's face, snapping her out of her daze. (Yes, Sakura wasn't listening, she was lost in thought.)

Being hit, Sakura had had enough! She readied her fist and sent Ami flying to the ground. Then heavy footsteps came.

The girls all started wailing the instant they saw a teacher walk up, Ami being the loudest.

Which meant they were going to get Sakura in trouble!

"Iru-I mean, Mizuki-sensei!"

Mizuki smiled, his eyes darting from the victim of the scene and helping Ami up. He told the girls to take her to the nurse before turning to Sakura, supposedly to reprimand her. "I've noticed you've gotten friendly with the class clown, eh?"

Sakura stammered- "I-I-"

"Heh, not only are you picking up his violent habits, but your grades have been dropping drastically too. No longer are you the top kunoichi of the class. I'm just a little worried, that's all."

Sakura's face went beet red and she looked down, shamed.

"And you've also taken on similar goggles," Mizuki's hand reached down to pull them off, and Sakura cringed. But just before that happened, a darker brown skinned hand grabbed his waist.

"I-Iruka-sensei!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Mizuki, school rules state that teachers aren't allowed to touch students."

"Heh, you're right, Iruka, but that wasn't what I was doing. I was just a little worried about Sakura, that's all." Mizuki smiled warmly to said girl. "Sakura-chan, whenever something troubles you, whether it's educational or personal affairs, you know you can always come and talk to me. That's what teachers are for, ne?"

"...Yes, Mizuki-sensei." Sakura nodded, and crossed her arms over each other a little protectively, as she felt Mizuki's cold hands land onto her head and caress her pink locks before he walked off, hands in pockets.

"Sakura," Sakura jumped slightly a bit at Iruka's voice._ He's still here?_ "I was wondering," He scratched his nose. "What is Naruto to you?"

She scowled. "A troublesome idiot, that's what!" She gulped and retracted that. "I-What I meant to say was, he's a little on the naughty side." She looked down. It was obvious that Naruto was Iruka's favorite.

Iruka smiled, "Say, why don't we go for some ramen? My treat. I'd like to talk to you about something."

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	8. He has no parents

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As Sakura sat on the red stool of Ichiraku Ramen's bar, she tapped the countertop while waiting for her order-well, it was more like Iruka's order for the both of them, since Sakura's never had ramen before-but it was an order of miso ramen-plus extra vegetables upon Sakura's request.

"What's this? A new customer! And a classmate of Naruto's, nonetheless!" The chef, Teuchi, smiled and dumped Sakura's serving before her.

His daughter Ayame repeated the action before Iruka, "Welcome back Iruka-san! You brought along a friend of Naruto?"

Iruka-sensei smiled, abashed. "Well...Sorta."

Sakura's face turned red as she stuffed a mouthful of ramen into her mouth, nutrition complaints shoved aside. Though it was too salty, that was the least of her worries. Iruka was ruining her public image! What would Sasuke-hell, what would _anyone_ think? Especially her parents! "I don't know him." She perked her nose up.

At that, Iruka frowned. "Sakura, do you know why Naruto always plays pranks and gets in trouble?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow, "Because he's an idiot?"

"AHAHAAHAHAHH" Iruka's body shook as his fists slammed the counter. "I can't deny that, " He wiped a tear, "so I'll just say that there's a second reason."

He turned to have Sakura fully face him. "It's because he's an orphan-"

"I know that-"

"Don't interrupt!" As she visibly sulked, Iruka realized she wasn't quite like Naruto as she seemed earlier today, Iruka scratched his nose. "It's because he wants the attention he doesn't get from a mother or father, that he plays the fool. He's really not so bad, just desperate for acknowledgement." _Like how I used to be._ "I hope you come to understand that, Sakura."

"I see..." Sakura perked up. "But then why does everyone hate him?"

Iruka's looked alarmed. "Aah, that's because-uh." Iruka felt a masked presence watching from above in the sakura tree a block away. He looked down. "It's an S-rank secret so I can't tell you, but please know it's not his fault...Not even he knows."

Iruka had expected Sakura to protest or even rebuke him, but Sakura had simply set down her ramen and stood to leave. "Thank you, Iruka-sensei," _Maybe she'd feel some empathy for Naruto now, _"for the meal." _or not. _

That night, Iruka walked home, feeling as though he'd achieved nothing.

That night, Sakura walked home with anger veins on her forehead and hands clenched into fists.

_He doesn't have a mother or father and no one to teach him right from wrong. Think about it, he just does whatever comes into his head.._

**Cha! If I did things like Naruto, forget it!**

_My parents would get mad and I'd get in trouble so of course I don't do it. _Sakura growled.

**But if you don't have parents to teach you, how would you know..?**

_He's selfish and bratty and__** all alone**__. _

_It's like I can't even leave that idiot alone after all; without parents who's left to teach him? That's right, the only one who can is __**ME! **__Damn you, __**NARUUTO!**_

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	9. Mom

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**Alright Sakura, it's time to do this. No backing out now, forehead. **

Sakura's eye twitched.

**Cha!** A hard punch knocked the door over and Sakura marched in, grocery bags in hand.

Yep, going shopping with all those old women really paid off in the end. Sakura proceeded to use the dingy stove and boil soup, frying eggs, and cooking rice.

When Naruto woke up to the smell of breakfast, he thought he was still dreaming.

Until Sakura stood over his bed like the demon from hell cracking her knuckles—supposedly as loud as his alarm clock, because before she even uttered a word, Naruto jumped out of the bed and ran for his life—into the kitchen.

Sakura waited.

"WOW WHAT'S ALL THIS FOOD IS THIS REAL—WOW AND SAKURA-CHAN TOO-WOW AM I DREAMING OR IS THIS REAL?!"

Sakura charged into the kitchen and punched at his cheek, knocking Naruto to the floor. "Naruto, wash your hands and sit down!"

So he did.

But his eyes were still bubbly and shiny when Sakura dumped a plate of rice and eggs and soup onto his table.

"Now eat up and we're off to school! Also, no pranking!"

"S-Sakura-chan…does this mean we're dating?" He said between greedy mouthfuls. That roach.

"NO YOU IDIOT! I'm your temporary guardian until you learn to do things right!" Sakura growled. "But don't call me mom or dad in public, baka! And keep this a secret. I also won't be walking home with you or anything. Blow our cover and it's over."

Naruto didn't care, he was elated for life. "YATTA! You're the best Sakura-chan. In fact I still think this is a genjutsu but I don't care! I'mma keep dreaming this for life!"

Sakura, once again, resisted the urge to facepalm. "Whatever, let's get to school—"

What's a way to get there fast enough to decrease the chances of being seen together? I mean, it's not like I want Sasuke-kun to know he has a rival—

"Naruto, race you to the academy!"

Got it!

For the first time in ages, the dead last won in something, and against the top kunoichi nonetheless!

* * *

春

* * *

_Pant. Pant. _

_Sweat. Sweat._

Exhausted and in pain, Sakura clutched on the railing caging the Academy's front yard nearby the swing and the entrance.

Naruto hadn't even broken a sweat, and he was currently looking around for Sakura-chan by the looks he was giving the scattered crowd of kids making their way inside.

He spotted Sakura and bolted over, but Sakura held up a hand and squeaked out "Wait." She still needed to catch her breath.

Naruto's eyes widened and he dashed away.

Confused at his reaction, Sakura shrugged it off as Naruto being an idiot again and released the railing to land on her butt. She relaxed while watching the others, and spotted Sasuke leaning behind a tree in the shade.

Sakura was about to call out to him but Naruto came back with a water bottle.

She stared at it skeptically before she smiled. She uncapped the water and gulped the whole thing down, and tossed it to the trash bin with her shuriken skills and a quick physics calculation based on its weight and shape and the air friction and other nerdy stuff.

Naruto's grin split his face as he grabbed Sakura's hand and pulled her to class in a faster run than before.

Sakura didn't even get to spare Sasuke another glance!

Suddenly a thought of Sasuke being like a father to Naruto crossed her mind and she burst out laughing just as they reached the classroom.

The thought of it was so absurd and the look on Iruka-sensei's face didn't help either. She clutched her stomach and giggled hard, until the blonde pig started giving her worried looks.

Sakura climbed up and walked to her seat, Naruto following behind. Ino wondered why Sakura would trade her esteemed seat that was closest to Sasuke-kun for the seat next to the dead last. What she didn't know was that they had a prank to plan. Although that was starting to become questionable itself.

* * *

春


	10. Uchiha Mentors

春

* * *

"Sakura sweetie, what have they been teaching you at the Academy?"

"Ehh…let's see….the kawarimi, the bushin, the henge—"

"Yes, that. Show me your henge jutsu."

**_Alright_**_!_ Sakura transformed herself into a perfect copy of the old lady, down to the every last dry flake of skin. She waited for the praise to come; every teacher was always impressed at her perfect performance of their jutsu.

"I don't look_ that_ ugly."

_What?! no!_ She jerked, about to mutter an apology because old ladies weren't technically ugly—but then she jerked again, upon seeing red eyes. The jutsu dispelled. "Hana-san! Don't surprise me like that! Your eyes are red!"

"Hohoho~ This is your first time seeing the Sharingan? Just now you've done something most shinobi without the Sharingan cannot."

"…Hana-san…Anyone can do the henge."

"Nono~ Sakura-chan, you have a natural affinity for genjutsu that even our Sharingan users would envy—hohoho"

"_I_ have an affinity for illusions?"

"You have a good control over your chakra and your environment. I'm one hundred and twelve years old, all my sons are dead, and I'm going to die soon-"

"Hana!" Sakura gasped.

"Along with my legacy…But here comes along a nice little girl~"

Sakura gaped.

"You've spent a lot of time with the most _experienced_ Uchiha, who are the best _genjutsu _users in the world…"

_I thought you were just old people._

"You thought we were just old people right?"

Sakura gasped.

"That surprised look on your face always cracks me up. But that's why I am willing to teach you"_ what I couldn't teach Obito_.

* * *

春

* * *

Soon she would witness Sakura using genjutsu for the same thing Obito Uchiha would, had he stayed sane.

Hana would then wonder if Sakura was actually Obito reincarnated... She was born shortly after he died, after all. The old lady smiled, believing her own tangential superstition.

* * *

春

* * *

Inside the underground Uchiha archives, a pink haired girl leaned her back against a dusty bookshelf. Sweat dewed her forehead. Shin, the old man who Hana convinced to tutor her, had simply complained about his bones getting too old for this and pushed her into the clan archives to dawdle on her own.

"Ya got booksmarts, youngin' lady. Ya'll learn best by books insteada hands-on anyways!"

Sakura didn't know whether the old man genuinely perceived her character that way from spending so much time together, or that he was just trying to get out of doing extra work without actually pushing her away, since they spent so much time together.

Regardless, she was stuck in this hot and stuffy room without a proper seat other than the floor, and dusty shelves as a backrest. Random scrolls she pulled out scattered in a semicircle around her.

Uchiha fire jutsu scrolls, Uchiha taijutsu styles, Uchiha history, Uchiha codes, Uchiha cat summoning scroll, Uchiha—

Wait, _cats_?

Sakura pulled out that scroll, read over the hand seals, and bit her thumb. She scribbled her signature beside the rows of signatures before.

Then she weaved a few hand seals and slammed it on the center of her lap. An orange cat with golden brown stripes popped out of smoke and sat on her legs, licking its paw.

"Meow." Matching green eyes stared back, before the eyes took on a snake-like appearance. "It's been two dewades siwce the wast niwja war that an Uchiwa has suwwoned wus-Mew, yow don't wook Uchiwa. RAOWR!" The cat hissed, the back of its fur puffed up, and it scratched Sakura's face multiple times.

Luckily, Sakura was wearing her trademark goggles.

So only her lower cheeks got clawed. But Sakura was a small sensitive girl who never experienced death or pain, so she screamed and cried and slapped the cat back. "OW! Ugghhhhh."

Seeing tears trail down her eyes, the cat stopped as it leapt back. "Ywou're obwiously not an ewemy. Who are yow? Ower new summoner?"

Sakura stopped crying. Inner berated herself. **Cha!** **I'm an idiot, getting defeated by a cat of all things?! What would happen when I face a real shinobi on a real mission?!** She glared at even smaller cat.

"I just wanted to test out this scroll! I mean, I've read about the three sannin—only legendary ninja have animal summons so I thought—I mean, I didn't know it would actually work—"

"Mew! I swence no hostile intent, and yow haw emotions on yew face." The cat licked its paw. "The last Uchiwa summoner died yewers ago, and thew never ever need ower help. Uchiwa are strong in battle and thew eyes strong for twacking and thew haw lots wa money and dwon't count wus as one of thwem anywore."

…

"Wait so, you're telling me that you're going to ditch the Uchiha just to join me?" Sakura was flabbergasted.

"Yup."

"And you're going to convince the rest of your family that this is the best choice?"

"Thew awready think so."

Sakura snapped her mouth shut.

Then, she giggled. "I'll buy you some catnip on the way home."

They shared a grin.

* * *

春


	11. Uzumaki Fuuinjutsu

春

* * *

_Sasuke Uchiha…Uchiha clan. This clan._

_Sakura Haruno…Haruno clan..**Heh, I wish**. I'm just a civilian. But Naruto? _

_Naruto Uzumaki…Uzumaki…Uzumaki…clan? _

"Found anything on the Uzumaki, Toru-kun?"

"Mew. Says here Uzumaki were distant answesters to the Uchiwa thwu the Senju. They were also gweat at fuuinjutsu."

"WHOA!" Sakura spun around and stared at her new kitty friend, and took in the fasinating sight of the feline standing on its hind legs atop a ladder, pinning an open book against a bookshelf while balancing everything precariously with its tail pointed outward.

_That dobe has a clan? One that's related to my future boyfri—Sasuke-kun? That would make him my brother-in-law._

**Cha! How can you be his sister and mom at the same time?! **

"It's a small world out here." _Despite Konoha being the largest hidden village_. "I bet everyone's connected in some way," Sakura mused, not knowing how close that comment struck home.

"Say, you're a smart cat. How do you know all this?"

The cat made a dry face. "I twold ya I was in the war and thew were War Heros."

"Oh. Right. You're older than you look," Sakura changed the subject, "So about the Uzumaki being—"

"They were wargeted in thew war, but thew clan died out cuz thew were too good at fuuinjutsu but not at fwighting."

"…" Sakura looked down, pink locks covering her eyes. _Maybe if things were different, then maybe Naruto would have had a clan to fall back on, or even a heirloom._

**_Heirloom_? Forehead, you thinking what I'm thinking? **

Sakura's head shot up as an idea flashed through her head. The implications were deliquescing. She stared at Toru.

"S-Sealing, you said? You mean those scrolls where you write characters and drawings with a paintbrush?"

"Yap."

"Find me everything you can on seals. I think they'll keep the orange roach busy…From distracting my time with Sasuke-kun." Sakura smirked, deciding to keep the real reason to herself.

"Not that he has the patience to hold a brush. But if I can just convince him it's for a prank…"

* * *

春

* * *

Iruka-sensei was writing on the chalkboard about using the clone jutsu and the transform jutsu in conjunction. It was an extra credit assignment if a student could actually pull it off, but it was still necessary to learn as one of the shinobi battle tactics.

Although one glance at the class displayed bored faces and…at the back of the room, his pinkette student and his blonde student chatting…

Or was that Sakura explaining the lesson to Naruto?

Iruka thought back of that night at Ichiraku's with Sakura. He smiled. Perhaps she took his words to heart. Iruka turned back to the board and made sure to explain even more useful battle tactics, seeing how Naruto was actually getting involved, albeit through a secondhand information source.

What he didn't know was that Sakura wasn't reteaching his lesson…

Sakura was instructing Naruto on fuuinjutsu. An advanced art that only legendary shinobi could thoroughly master.

But not for a bookworm like herself, and surprisingly, Naruto was learning at a pace just as fast as hers initially.

Sakura had three theories. (Sakura loved theories.)

1\. Naruto was an Uzumaki and thus he was naturally gifted in the sealing arts.

2\. Naruto was an orphan with no friends and no one to teach him, that's why he acts stupid, but when someone actually teaches him, he's just as smart as she is.

3\. Naruto was trying his absolute ultimate best because he's being acknowledged and taught by someone (regardless of the lesson,) and that's why he's improving so fast.

Sakura doubted it was the first reason. Uzumaki had red hair and Naruto had yellow. In the shinobi world, orphans usually had fake last names. (Sakura wondered why she believed for a second Naruto was a real Uzumaki, but even if he wasn't one, Sakura wasn't going to regret passing him the Uzumaki heirloom, because that wasn't her intention. Her intention was to keep Naruto busy from sabotaging her dates with Sasuke-kun. Sakura nodded to herself. Yes, that's definitely the reason she was doing this.) Anyhow, the point was, there was no gurantee that Naruto was from the Uzumaki clan just because he was a fast learner at what she was teaching.

Besides, she was leaning more towards the second reason. Maybe the third, seeing how smitten Naruto was about her.

She sighed fondly. "Idiot."

"What? What? So is this how it works?" Naruto showed Sakura his notebook with a spiral marking and a few kanji for 'genjutsu storage' in a very ugly handwriting scrawled around the circle.

"Yeah yeah, now make at least a hundred of those and we'll use it to play our prank, **after **class. Now leave me alone until after you're done."

"Alright!"

_Well, that's one way to get that idiot off my back. I really need to see Sasuke now. _

She shot a look at Sasuke and Ino-pig sitting only a couple feet away from her crush.

At the same time, Ino shot suspicious glances back towards Sakura. Ino could fanthom why Sakura would willingly give up her seat, which was closest to Sasuke's, for the seat right beside the class clown. _Sakura hated Naruto, so why? _Ino bit her teeth, resolving to master her Mind Transfer Technique just so she could look inside Sakura's head.

**Inner** Sakura cracked her knuckles, having guessed Ino's thoughts. _Bring it on, pig_**.**

What she didn't know was that they had a prank to plan.

Tonight.

* * *

春


	12. Handsome and good-looking enough to use

Flashback

* * *

Naruto had pulled Sakura over to his favorite ramen stand.

She took one look at old man Teuchi and instantly felt conditioned remorse about an old man overworking alone cooking ramen for a barely scraped living. Then Ayame came up and helped.

Sakura marginally relaxed.

"This is Ayame, my daughter."

Sakura completely relaxed.

Then they ate ramen.

* * *

春

* * *

"Thank you, Sakura. These groceries were getting a little heavy and lately you haven't been helping." The words were spoken with a note of disappointment.

Sakura straightened up, alarmed. "I'm sorry Sawa-san. It's just—I've been training—and"

The old lady wailed. "All our younglings go off training to be shinobi then die in missions! That lil' time we scaped up together gone permanently!"

"Sa-Sawa-san!" Sakura held up her hands in a pacifying attempt. "I'll—I'll be sure to come by more often. I'll never forget you." Her smile looked a little forced, though.

"Hohoho~" Hana came up. "Is that you teasing our little Sakura-chan?"

The two old ladies shared a smile, apparently trading an invisible conversation, before turning to Sakura.

"How about you join a picnic with us?"

**That came outta nowhere. **

Sakura's mouth twitched. "U-Uh, sure!" She had been learning from them more than helping them anyway. She was starting to miss the good feeling.

"Delightful. I'll make sure all of us elders will be attending."

Sakura sweatdropped. _A picnic filled with old people, ahaha, fun, fun._

* * *

春

* * *

Itachi Uchiha may have been a man who controlled which emotions his face revealed, its default one being none at all, but never let it be said that Itachi was an emotionless, heartless killer.

What a normal person felt, he felt a thousand times stronger.

He was an Uchiha. 'Nuff said.

So when he was arriving home from a double agent mission after reporting to the Hokage about the elders plus his father still planning about the coup de'tat, he was surprised to see said elders, ALL of them, sitting outside having a picnic in the field with a little pink haired girl around Sasuke's age.

They didn't look like the evil old men plotting Konoha's demise like at their secret meetings. They looked like innocent senile old people just enjoying the sun with their non-Uchiha grandchild.

What the heck.

These people were racist and hated all non-Uchihas. They were the ones stuck in their old ways and refused to accept anyone outside the clan, which was why they wanted to fight all of Konoha in the first place. So why are they accepting an outrageous outsider and looking happy about it?

Itachi shook his head and hurried home. It was better not to hesitate about the people you were planning to kill.

* * *

春

* * *

Sakura perked up from the egg and tomato and salad sandwich she was eating. It was a crowded but nicely spaced area, with all the old people gathered. Even the wheelchaired civilian ones. They all had black hair and wrinkly skin, it made Sakura feel out of place. Even more so when they shared double-innuendos and jokes only old people understood. _Ugh._

Suddenly her eyes landed on a young Uchiha, who looked eerily similar to Sasuke, hurrying across the field. Her heart skipped a beat when he hesitated and swept his gaze across all the elders with mild disdain and suspicion, before landing on her, and stared at her for an eternity with demonic red eyes.

She wasn't sure if she was feeling fear or excitement.

Then he scurried off like a mouse.

Sakura snorted. No way was she _afraid_ of a loser like him. She was probably just excited he looked like Sasuke-kun.

_Sasuke-kun._

Sakura's cheeks flushed. Luckily, her glasses were on and its recording device was on. So now, she could easily create some posters of this _older boy_, and paste him all over her bedroom walls. Briefly, she wondered why she hadn't already done that with Sasuke's image.

**Forehead, you didn't have these glasses back then. And then you got sidetracked.**

"Oh."

Sakura smiled. Regardless of whatever, Itachi's beautiful face filled the final quota required for _their_ prank...After she finished Naruto's fuuinjutsu lessons.

* * *

春


	13. Naruto and Sakura's Controversial Prank

_"Why use paint when you can use genjutsu?" -Sakura to Naruto, upon planning to deface the Hokage Monument  
_

* * *

春

* * *

Naruto wiped the bead of sweat from his forehead. That sneaky Sakura! Forcing him to tear hundreds of sheets from his notebook and sticking them to the giant stone faces of the Hokages!

All while she sat there at the top sunbathing!

And he worked hard on those sheets too! It felt like a waste to have spent five minutes per looseleaf paper to draw each "perfect seal," only to have the sheets get wet with dirt and mud as they stuck to various parts of rock noses, eyes, chins, cheeks, and hair.

Sakura, being the nerd she was, knew the humid air of this day would wet the moss and moisture on the Hokage Monument. It saved them the work of using glue to stick the seals to the stones when the environment did all the work. All Naruto had to do was slap a few pieces of paper over the stone heads and they stick automatically. _It's either that, or chakra has the tendency to stick and genjustsu seals are filled with chakra._

She couldn't see what was so hard about it or why Naruto was so frustrated. _I mean, it's not like he's the one doing the work for the genjutsu anyway. That unappreciative roach. Sometimes I wonder why I even help him._

Nonetheless, the fact that they learned tree-walking early on certainly helped.

"YATTA! SAKURA-CHAN SAKURA-CHAN-SAKURA-SAKURA-SAKU-SAKURA-CHAN-CHAN-CHAN I FINISHED YIPPIE I'M SO AWESOME YOU SHOULD SEE-"

"SHUT UP YOU IDIOT!" _Punch._

Naruto was knocked off the middle of standing horizontally on the stone face right after pasting on the last of his sheet, but Sakura swooped down and grabbed his hand, her other hand clinging on the nose of the Yondaime Hokage with the little chakra she has. Her body felt stretched and her dress was getting torn as she held on to Naruto's life with one hand and the chakra-augmented rock with her other._ Crap I hit him too hard at the worse location possible._

Then they fell.

**Cha! Since you're doing so spectacularly, might as well go the whole way, right?!**

She released Naruto, _he can handle himself,_ and formed a hand seal mid-fall before the distance from the seals grew too large.

"Release!"

Suddenly, all the paper tags vanished in smoke and...

The four stone heads reshaped themselves.

Shodaime Hashirama Senju → Sasuke.

Niidaime Tobirama Senju → Itachi. (This came as a shock to him when he saw it.)

Sandaime Hiruzen Sarutobi → Sakura.

Yondaime Minato Namikaze → Naruto.

Then they ran.

They got split up in their frenzied escape, but that only ensured they weren't caught by the authorities.

Sakura wanted her stone face to be between Sasuke's and Itachi's but Naruto had insisted her face to be beside his. Naruto also insisted that Sasuke's face be the furthest from his own face after realizing that there was no way he could convince Sakura to leave Sasuke out of it. So Sakura's face was beside Itachi's. That was their only intent in the placement of these faces, but of course Konoha did not see it this way.

They did not believe_ children_ pulled this off, and thus thought it was a message or metaphor for something else, caused by rebel groups or something.  
After all, everyone's reactions were mixed in dilemmas and panic.

Civilians wondered whether the shinobi were fooling around or the leadership roles switched.

_Certain_ people gaped they saw the 4th's face being replaced by his son's.

For the first time in his lifespan, Kakashi dropped his orange book in utter shock. Thus, he lost it somewhere among the crowd and the controversy. Thus, he would be late for his daily Obito mourning at the Memorial Stone. When Kakashi is late, he is very late. (Psst. Hint. Important foreshadowing here!).

Also, the entirety of the Uchiha clan stared shocked at the sight of _Uchiha faces_ being on the Hokage Monument.

But not in a good way, as it seemed like they were being mocked. Specifically, they were outraged at Tobirama's face being replaced by Itachi's, since Tobirama was the worst Hokage in the Uchiha's opinion.

And the worst part, for the 3rd Hokage especially...No one really recognized Sakura's face. There were lots of girls with long hair and exposed foreheads. Sasuke, Naruto, and Itachi's hairstyles were distinct and anyone who knew them could tell what the reshaped stones represented. But not quite for Sakura. Even if the Hokage sent out a search party to find someone with those features, there were too many of those in the civilian population.

Maybe whoever pulled this off just slapped on some random girl's appearance, seeing how Sarutobi was still an alive Hokage.

Sarutobi pinched the bridge of his nose and clamped his teeth down his smoke pipe. Obviously Naruto didn't have the brain to do this. Itachi most_ definitely_ didn't do this. That left _Sasuke Uchiha._

It was time for a _talk_ for that prodigious and precocious boy that he formerly reserved only for Naruto.

* * *

春

* * *

Somewhere in the Uchiha clan, a few old women stared at Sakura's stone monument in faint recognition, but no way in hell were they going to report their sweet little girl.

* * *

春


	14. Tobi

"I didn't do it," The eight year old boy declared.

Sarutobi shuffled his paperwork. "Several jounin spotted sheets of paper appear on various locations of the Monument. Upon further investigation, these were _genjutsu_ seals, created and restricted _only_ to the _Uchiha_ clan."

Sasuke's eye twitched. "Is that why I'm here instead of the dobe?"

Sarutobi was about to speak- but Sasuke interrupted. "Wait, how do you know so much about the details of my clan's _secret_ techniques?"

Sarutobi closed his mouth. This child was sharper than his innocent appearance betrayed. The Uchiha clan had been planning to rebel against the village, so obviously he had to take precautions to prepare for the worst case scenario like a war. He assigned ANBU and planted spies, including double agents such as Itachi, to dig out as many techniques as possible, to have countermeasures against them should the war break out.

No one else in the Uchiha knew this.

But that wasn't quite true. It was the privacy-invading actions like these which flamed Uchiha opinion against the village in the first place.

Sarutobi swallowed. "I am the Hokage, the strongest leader of Konoha. It is not unbelievable for a professor of my wisdom to know many things, especially about a clan that was here ever since the founding of this village."

Sarutobi had an idea to dig himself out of this hole. "I am giving you one chance. Let us both forget _any_ of this ever happened, no talk, no lecture, no prank, and you may go home. Do not mention what you did."

"But I didn't do-"

"Nope. You did nothing, so cleanse it all from your memory. You are dismissed. Return home and work hard at school."

Sasuke grunted and left.

"Hn."

* * *

桜

* * *

_Tobi _was_ enduring_. He had to do it for the new world. Madara, e_veryone_ was counting on him. Kakashi, _Rin_, Minato-sensei.

_All of us will be together again_. _I promise_.

Occasionally, he could feel his willpower breaking. Wondering why he was taking so many lives, why he was dishing out commands to massacre every kekkei genkai user in Kirigakure, or why, even now, he was plotting the death of his _own clan_. It felt_ wrong_ to have to kill the Uchiha he grew up with-and the fact that he had to do this, was exactly the wrongness of the world...This evil world was what he was trying to _fix_.

_Once everything is over, once everyone gets their happy endings, I'll be allowed to relax._

Still, something tugged in his chest about the helpless elderly population, but that was impossible, Tobi didn't have a heart anymore. _Obito is long dead. _

The eyehole of his spiral mask darkened.

_There must be a price of sacrifices for the utopia everyone will love. Besides, they aren't true sacrifices. These people will be back with us, in a better world. The Moon's Eye. The fixed world.  
_

_Someday they'll thank us...for returning their loved ones. _

So why was it _so difficult_? He couldn't afford to slow down, not when the 3rd stage of his plan is already in place.

Oh, but that's okay. All Tobi needed was just a little motivation. When times grew brutal, he could always count on Kakashi mourning at his Memorial Stone.

He appreciated it, but for all the wrong reasons.

Tobi chuckled. If he went and forced himself to stare at Kakashi staring at his name for ten minutes, he'd feel motivated again, motivated to continue on with the Moon's Eye Plan! He had to save Kakashi, after all.

_Tobi isn't saving just himself._

So he kamui'd out of the Mizukage office and materialized into the forest across the Memorial Stone. Kakashi was always on schedule, so Tobi peered at his KIA stone while suppressing his chakra completely.

But...Kakashi wasn't there.

_What. _

What he didn't know was that Kakashi was too busy searching for his Icha Icha novel and dealing with the investigation of the Hokage Monument Prank. Thus, he was not here today. And that someone else would be coming instead.

In denial, Tobi's Sharingan seemed to float closer to the clearing before his body completely materialized, Akatsuki cloak and everything. So what if he got caught, he could always time-space himself away. This was an important matter! Something must be wrong with Kakashi to miss his mourning time like this!

Tobi wobbled over to the stone and looked for the spot with the words "Obito Uchiha," then he distinctly sensed a chakra signature arriving in top civilian running speed. It was just a child's chakra, so Tobi could totally play around and mindfuck the kid before running off!

_But._

_Better safe and sorry._

_Especially at a place like this._

So Tobi flailed and ran back into the treeline of the forest, and peered from the side of the tree he was hidden in, as the child came into view. _It's a kawaii little girl with pink hair_.

She was barely 10 to 20 meters away, and she didn't seem to sense him.

Tobi's Mangekyou Sharingan widened as the girl stopped in front of the Memorial Stone, panting hard and searching for a name.

_Heh. At so young, and she's already lost a mother to war. But that's okay, eventually I'm going to bring her mother back. _

He smiled behind his mask. He didn't need Kakashi for motivation. He's got this girl instead.

Tobi started sucking himself back into his dimension, already motivated enough to continue on with his plans, feeling no need to hear the private talk she was going to have with her dead mother.

"Ah! Sorry I'm late, Obito!"

Tobi _froze_.

"Hana-san wanted me to visit you and I never got the chance-Oh did I drop-Ah whew, look I've got your old goggles. Aren't they cute? Oh wait, you're dead, haahaha!"

Tobi shivered, doubts flitting through his mind a hundred a second. Then, he _bristled_.

"They said you were just like me, you helped old people out. Did you do it because you felt useless and weak? Ahahahah!" Sakura was giggling.

Murderous amounts of chakra pulled into his single eye, preparing to cast a genjutsu.

Brain damage? Nah, she'll be fine once everything's finally over, though it may take a few decades. Jinchuuriki were hard to catch.

She_ deserved_ what was she was going to get. How dare she _mock_ him.

"Shannaro~! You should've seen what I just did with the-"

This time it was Sakura who suddenly froze, sweat droplets sliding down her face, green eyes wide with trepidation.

Sadistically, Tobi smirked. _Time for you to get mindfucked._

* * *

桜


	15. vs Inner Sakura

鬼

* * *

_Pant. Pant. _

_Sweat. Sweat._

_Heave. Heave._

Sakura's muscles burned as she sprinted away from the prank location. Somehow in her blind escape, she ended up here.

The Memorial Stone that the old grandma kept telling her to visit, but she never did. _I always put it off because I have better things to do than stare at some names on a stone. I'll never understand what old people think. _

Despite so, Sakura stood before the stone and stared. (There wasn't anything better to look at anyway.)

Finally finding the name, she grinned. "Sorry I'm late, Obito!" _Like, really late. _

"Hana-san wanted me to visit you and I never got the chance-" _I never planned to come_...

A jolt of shame dug into her emotions. That would go against what the old people's feelings. Then, her feelings switched sides Flashbacks and memories of what the old women say.

_They only think of me as Obito's replacement. They don't see me for who I really am and they don't really appreciate my help. They only want to be reminded of Obito! These goggles prove it. Wait, do I still have them on?_

"Oh did I drop-Ah whew, look I've got your old goggles. Aren't they cute? Oh wait, you're dead, haahaha!"

_Your death is the reason they're so nice to me. Hahaaha, it's obviously why they bothered to teach me anything! _

"They said you were just like me, you helped old people out. Did you do it because you felt useless and weak?" _Because that's how I feel!_ "Ahahahah!" Sakura giggled hard, clutching her stomach.

She felt insane, sad, selfish and relieved, happy, and hurt, all at the same time. She tried to stop these flurry of unwelcome feelings,_ Rule #25. "A shinobi must never show their emotions." _Yet no matter what she tried, she felt nothing could stop these strong emotions. _  
_

Then_, something_ suddenly froze all those emotions, and Sakura was, once again, proven wrong.

**Forehead! Someone's trying to invade your mind! **

Her eyes widened in trepidation. _What do you mean someone?! I checked and there's no one here! It's impossible to cast a genjutsu at this distance! Trust me I tried-_

**Save the thought for later! I can't hold it back much longer!  
**

_DON'T! I CAN'T LET HIM INSIDE! I HAVE TO FIGHT! _

Iruka-sensei hadn't taught the class how to dispell genjutsu yet. Sakura learned to cast genjutsu from the Uchiha elders, but they hadn't thought to teach her how to dispel them, since they always relied on the Sharingan for that task. Sakura, in panic, had to improvise. So, she powered up her Inner to meet the enemy head-on.

There was the sound of two strong spiritual forces colliding, a hundred explosions slamming her eardrums.

Sakura clutched her head and screamed.

There was the sound of a blanket thin membrane squishing out a wet, gummy sound right in between.

**The barrier will be crushed by the pushing of my force and the outsider's force!**** AT THIS RATE YOUR BRAIN WILL TURN INTO MUSH! **

Then, there was the sound of paper tearing.

It was all in her head.

_God god god what do I do, I can't go brain dead now!  
_

She resolved herself. _My mind is is MY domain! **I'll win this! **So, stop resisting and let the enemy inside! Just protect my vitals and make sure I get no permanent brain damage, Inner! The rest I'll handle myself! _

It was a brave thought, but Sakura was scared as fuck. She sweated. She shivered. _Is this what a real battle is like? I'm not ready to be a ninja. _Against her will, tears formed in her eyes as she started crying. _Naru-no, why am I thinking of that useless idiot. Sasuke-kun, save me!_ Even though she knew that wasn't going to happen. Um, _nevermind, don't save me. _

Then, the foreign entity slipped into her mind, much smoother than before, without **Inner** Sakura's interference.

_Inner_?

Inner didn't respond.

* * *

鬼


	16. Obito Uchiha

_Okay, he's inside our domain. I can fight him here. I know my own mind better than anyone. _She reassured herself.

[Whew! That was harder than I expected and I accidentally destroyed her entire mentality. But, that's what she gets for resisting.] It was a foreign voice, male, raspy. And creepy.

Sakura reacted the only way she knew how:_ Get out of my mind! PUNCH._

[OW! ... You're still here? But I just killed you...] It was more a statement than a question.

_Is that why my Inner stopped responding?! YOU-YOU-HOW DARE-WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! I'LL KILL YOU! _

[Heheheh. Nope, it's futile no matter what you do. And don't you think this what you deserve for trying to impersonate me?]

..._What?_

The foreign spirit sounded a sigh. [I'm the_ real_ Obito Uchiha. So, stop pretending to be me.]

_That's impossible! Obito is dead! Everyone said so! _

[It's true, I am dead. I've been dead for more than a decade from the moment I saw the hard truth of this world.]

_Uhm, what? Whatever, just, how did you get inside my head then? If you're dead. _

A silence. She could hear the gears turning in the other spirit's head, however impossible that was. Then, she heard him smile. It was the type of smile you make from amusement at someone's stupidity. She twitched.

[I'm actually a ghost.]

_WHAT?! That's..that's.._

[Think about it. You're safe inside Konoha, so there aren't any enemy nin. And why would any Leaf ninja try to attack you?]

_Oh gee, I wonder why,_ Sakura responded dryly, thinking back of that Hokage prank that would undoubtedly stir up any respectful ninja's wrath.

[And you're at the Memorial Stone, completely by yourself, miles away. Hint, _Memorial Stone_? You're a smart girl, you would have sensed any ALIVE person.]

He was right. Sakura's glasses displayed chakra signatures. What she didn't know was that Obito had been using a kamui trick in his chakra suppression technique, among other complex stuff.

_I believe you. So, what am I supposed to say? I'm so sorry I tarnished your memory? Please don't curse me?_

[..Show some regret.]

_... Please! I'll-I- I won't do it again-_

[Ahaha, you're funny. I like you.~

She tuned out of his dialogue to access her mental state. It felt weird without her Inner mentality in control. She briefly wondered if she could fix that shattered mentality. It had to be scattered around her mindscape somewhere. She tuned back into Obito's speaking (it was hard to pay attention to him at the same time without two of her personalities in place)

~realized that some people are just nice little girls, so just be yourself. And, sorry that I scared you...I haven't talked _normally_ like this for over ten years and I died too early to learn how to talk to girls. . . Because, it's impossible for the dead to communicate with the living, but you're special. I believe you are the only one in this world with this ability, although it probably only works on me.]

Sakura gasped. She had a...kekkei genkai..for this? That would explain why this was even possible. She always knew she had two personalities, a facade that was a part of her, and her inner thoughts. Maybe her mind can allow entities to live inside and that's how a ghost slipped in? Plus, it was more than that. _She was the only one who can._

Somewhere in her unconscious, her inferiority complex convulsed, desperately grasping at his words. That desperate need for acceptance from the old people had switched off earlier when she realized they didn't see Sakura as Sakura, but as Obito's substitute.

Now, that desperate yearning returned, ironically, to a ghost. It was laughable that a person who appreciated her for who she was, had to be a dead person.

_Wow, I'm so useless that only the ghosts like me as Sakura, _she thought to herself sardonically.

The foreign voice continued.

[There isn't much that goes on in the afterlife, well, since I never ended up going there...being stuck here and all. Heheh. I think it's because I still have a duty to complete for this world, despite being dead. Heheh, I'll be around for a very long time. In fact, why don't we meet directly in your mindscrape? There's a lot I want to talk to you about, and you're the only one who I can really relate to, being a lonely ghost and all. Heh.]

Sakura swallowed, hard. Here was a nice boy who helped old people, but when he finally died, he's denied entry into heaven?! She could totally relate to this guy, and if he ended up this way, then what did fate have in store for her?!_ I don't wanna be a ghost!_

Then she started reprimanding herself, _Don't be selfish, Sakura! Thinking of yourself all the time! He's been stuck haunting this world all alone for decades! And when he's finally managed to find someone he could talk to, you're gonna deny him his companionship?! You might end up like him, what then?! What would Sasu- no, the old grandmas and grandpas think, Sakura?!_

It would be easier to attempt to fix her **Inner**, Sakura mused. Plus, Obito wasn't untrustworthy, if the stuff the elders said about him were reliable.

Completely forgiving and forgetting his initial murderous intent, Sakura should really learn to hold grudges.

_U-Uh, okay, see you in my mind?_ Sakura mentally responded. Then, her complete conscious was pulled out of her senses into her mindscape, and due to inexperience, her physical body in the real world collapsed into the grass.


	17. Just a sad, lonely ghost with no friends

花

* * *

Her mind must have been the vainest thing ever.

Naruto's mindscape was a cellar, full of pipes and dim light, dripping sounds, two meters of sewer water and a cage containing the most powerful and legendary beast whispered only in myths. The beast was the highlight. Giant demon eyes to greet him, sharp set of fangs to mock or scare him, and nine tails capable of leveling mountains to blow him out with a gust of wind.

Sakura's?

Just **black**.

Blackness **everywhere**.

_Says a lot about my two-dimensional mentality_, Sakura would muse dryly.

The ceiling, if there was one, the floor, the horizon, all of it black. Dull, empty, nothing.

It was like she had gone blind, except she hadn't.

Because Sakura could see herself.

Her hands, her red dress, her pink bangs...

Her body illuminated as if she were outdoors in the daytime, although there was no definable light source. Her body contrasted sharply against the black, and as she looked again to the floor, she could see its shadow. But the shadow was white, and it wasn't even a shadow, but a chalk drawing of her general image. It was Inner Sakura, her feet starting from where Sakura's feet were. Like a mirror image, or a real shadow.

Like a shadow, Inner Sakura could expand and shrink at will, or more accurately, at Sakura's will, the way a shadow would to the sun. But Sakura noticed something wrong with her Inner shadow, the chalk looked erased and scattered, Inner wasn't even a drawing of Sakura anymore, but messed up scribbles!

The eyes were still there, but it looked like X_X

Sakura crossed her arms behind her back and leaned a little closer to the white shadow, eyeing it speculatively.

_Now, how to fix this? _

"Oh hey Sakura-chan," a rather young voice startled her out of her thoughts. She turned around and saw Obito walking towards her.

Obito looked younger than he sounded in her head, he looked 12 years old, a combination of Sasuke and Naruto. He had Sasuke's black hair, black eyes, pale skin tone, but also Naruto's goofy grin, goofy face structure, and goofy goggles—although his goggles matched closer to the ones Sakura was wearing. _Okay, fine, Obito looks like a combination of all three of us._

Even his voice sounded younger than before, fitting his image. She eyed him skeptically.

Unlike Sakura, Obito didn't have a white shadow. Perhaps this only applied to ghosts, but if it applied to everyone else who entered her mindscape, then Sakura could safely conclude that she was the only one with an Inner.

"Obito-san?"

"Yeah, that's me. Heheh. I died when I was twelve, and umm. My voice kinda grew up as a ghost, and ah…This is my true form, honest!"

"You're right, ghosts aren't supposed to grow up, I've read in a textbook that the form of spirits are meant to stay dormant-"

"Yeah, yeah whatever! Let's talk about something more interesting instead!" Obito interrupted.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. She had always had a bright mind, and inside it, her senses were sharpened significantly. She could feel that Obito's goofiness sounded fake, almost with a tinge of nostalgia. She shrugged it off.

_It makes sense for a ghost to be jaded about life. I mean, if I were a ghost, it'd be impossible for me to be genuinely cheerful after ten years. He's not Naruto, so I'm not going to point this out, though. Don't wanna hurt his feelings_.

Sakura smiled. "Well, what do you want to talk about, Ghost-san?" _Cha! I slipped up! That was rude! _

Obito laughed. Again, it sounded fake, but also a little sad. On the surface, it sounded happy and amused. Sakura could feel her lips tightening.

"Ah, Sakura-san, umm…Hahah! Let's just choose a topic…Umm, how about…" He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. _Another trait like Naruto. _"Umm, how's school?"

Sakura smirked, plopping herself down. Obito sat down too. "We've been learning the Transform, the Clone, and the Substitution. Say, you're a lot more awkward than earlier. Before, you knew exactly what to say and sounded…" Sakura blushed, distinctly reminded of Sasuke-kun. "…cool."

Obito blushed. "Um, sorry. You remind me of…um…An old teammate."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. Of course. To everyone, she always reminded them of someone else.

Obito stammered. "Her-Her name's Rin. But you really aren't like her, you're different, honest! It's just that you're a girl and…" Obito blushed again. "I died before I had the luxury of talking with girls."

Sakura stared, then she stifled a giggle.

Obito continued. "Also! You're a lot more fun! And you're a really good person. Helping old folks—"

"It's not like anyone else would do it after you died," Sakura pointed out.

Obito looked ashamed. Sakura raised an eyebrow, "Oi, don't feel bad. It's not your fault since you're dead."

"…Yeah." That answer was the most depressed sound she'd ever heard. Like he was burdened with all the evils of the world.

Sakura felt her stomach churn painfully, her mind flitting through things to cheer him up or at least distract him.

"Obito, you ruined my Inner, so take responsibility and fix her." Sakura pointed at her white chalk shadow.

His eyebrows rose and he looked almost desperate, before a smile forced itself into his face and he hopped over to play doctor on Inner.

Sakura was reminded of the 90-year-old bitter old man she had helped out sometimes, being placed into a 12-year old body and hollowly seeking happiness. It looked out of place, but hey, ghosts!

Sakura watched with fascination as Obito activated his Sharingan and slowly began putting the chalk lines together into a more definite outline of Sakura.

Her lips parted. "Obito-kun! Teach me to do that."

He looked at her. "Eh? But you need the Sharingan…Wait, there's two of you. I think you should be able to pull it off if you use your hands."

"HELL YES!"

* * *

花

* * *

Sakura had patched together her Inner.

It was easier than she expected! All she did was grab parts of the white power and put them back into place with her bare hands. In theory, it was similar to fuuinjutsu. You add bits and pieces together to make one big final thing, like putting words from a language together to create a command. _Something like that._

Obito had been doing half the work by using his Sharingan alone, so that made things easier.

By the time they finished, Inner Sakura had popped up, yelled "CHA! HOW DARE YOU TEAR ME ABOUT!" Before laying down for a nap.

So instead of a dead shadow, Sakura had a sleeping shadow. Still better than before.

She turned towards the ghost. "Thanks, Obito-kun."

He smiled back, apparently having warmed up to her from the hours spent together fixing Inner. "You're welcome, Sakura-chan."

They shared a grin.

Sakura broke it first. "So, you can't stay here forever, I think. And neither can I. When will we meet again?" She activated her puppy eyes and pouted. _Cha! I've practiced this expression on the mirror hundreds of times! There's no way it'll fail_!

And she was right.

Obito could feel his resolve breaking. "U-Uh…Yeah sure, we can meet again." He rubbed his head sheepishly. "But not at this time. Someone else comes to the Memorial Stone and guards it 5-9PM, 5-8AM, and—argh—" Obito scratched his hair. "Whatever, just come in the middle of the night."

Sakura blinked. "But it's dangerous, like, what if some bulgar or kidnapper gets to me?"

"No-no, I'll uh…train you to fend for yourself, heh, yeah! Haha-ha." Obito chuckled awkwardly.

Sakura felt the idea of being trained by a ghost absurd, that she couldn't help accepting the offer in her amusement.

"Okay," Sakura bit her lip and thought of securing their agreement. _Well, ghosts are lonely, so I'll play on that._ "We'll do something fun everyday...And we can tell each other all sorts of things that we can't tell people in the real world."

Obito actually looked like he was considering her words.

Seconds ticked by and he looked at her with a serious glint through his orange goggles, his voice sounding serious unlike before. "Yeah. I'd like that."

Then she woke up.

* * *

花


	18. Itachi's Crows

It was soft, and hard at the same time. It was dirty, foreign, but clinically clean. Sakura jolted up from the bed, it wasn't hers. There were no stuffed toys or animals to occupy her childish tendencies, or her makeup kit beside her alarm clock.

Sakura was in_ someone else_'s house.

She looked around and saw the colorless white paper walls and bare minimum of furniture. The format of the room looked like one from the Uchiha compound, almost identical to the homes of the elderly she assisted. Were it any different, she would have screamed and fainted in shock of being kidnapped, but instead she took deep breaths.

_I don't recognize this place, maybe Hana or Shiko picked me up and put me in their friend's place._

She sat up and hopped off the bed, and that was when the door opened and Itachi Uchiha entered.

Sakura's jaw dropped, then she regained her senses, he was talking. "What?"

"I found you collapsed at the KIA stone; I was going to take you to the hospital. You were merely asleep, however, so I took you here instead, as I didn't feel to awaken you." He smiled slowly. "You're a deep sleeper, aren't you?"

Sakura blinked. "What?"

Itachi sighed, and walked over, lifting her under her arms and setting her back into the bed. "I brought you something to drink-"

"You're Sasuke-kun's brother!"

"...-kun?"

"I knew it! Sasuke-kun always talks about you!" It was true, the few words she did manage out of Sasuke involved something about surpassing nii-san, otherwise it was just his usual coolness.

"I take it you must be close to Sasuke."

Sakura blushed. "Well...Kinda."** Cha! Of course you are! You're going to be his future wife after all! Come on be honest!** "Yeah-real close-best friends!" Sakura blurted out before she could stop herself. **That's too much, you don't even know his favorite color. **

Itachi had a contemplating glint in his eyes. "I...see." He stood up to leave, but stopped at the door. "By the way, why did you put my face on the Hokage Monument?"

Sakura's eyes widened. _He knows! _ **How? **

He smiled sadly. "I've seen _them_ teach you."

Sakura put on her good-girl face. "Well...It wasn't my idea. I just helped out a boy a little. He did most of it." It was true, Naruto was the one to tape all the seals on.

"Interesting. When you feel better, you can leave." Itachi looked considering, though. "If your_ best friend_ is really in trouble, be there for him. He'll need it, even if he doesn't show it, don't betray him." He planned Sasuke to hate him, kill him, but not end up a psychopath while at it. A friend, Sasuke didn't have a lot of those...Itachi looked at Sakura, wondering the validity of her best friend statement. Regardless, he just had a feeling that Sakura would always be there for Sasuke, even if Sasuke only focuses on gaining power. He smiled, and exited, shutting the door behind him.

Sakura blinked. _He's talking about Naruto isn't he?  
_

The door reopened. "Just in case, sign this." Itachi tossed her a scroll with a crow symbol on it. "It's similar to the Cat contract the elders gave you. However, you aren't allowed to summon any. It's just a..precaution,"_ in case I can't get an emergency message to Hokage-sama fast enough. _

Sakura blinked. She didn't know Itachi was planning to slaughter his clan, defect Konoha, and become a spy for the Akatsuki. So she wondered why, but nonetheless, unwrapped the scroll, sliced her thumb with a kunai and wrote her name neatly on the row. She licked her finger clean. "Thanks," she appreciated in confusion.

Itachi nodded slowly, and shut the door.

* * *

**Author Note**: Sorry it took so long! I'm going to start up my daily updates again. The reason Itachi handed Sakura the crow summon was because there was no one else. Itachi couldn't pass it off to one of his ANBU or Jounin friends because he was going to become criminal in their eyes, and they'd surely dispose of the contract or try to use it to track him down, or kill as many crows as possible. They were suspicious adult shinobi. So, Itachi could pass it onto Sasuke, but that's not a good idea, because he plans to make Sasuke focus on revenge and there's no way he'd "report missing-nin secrets to the Hokage" just because Itachi's crow told him to. So, the best idea was to pass it onto some random child, not an Uchiha child since he was going to kill them anyway, but an outsider child. Not old enough to be overly suspicious, but not young enough to be useless. He could have passed it to some random civilian kid even, as long as the child is clanless and guaranteed to become a ninja.


	19. Pineapple

櫻

* * *

Sakura blushed.

She was in Sasuke-kun's house! She clasped her hands together over her mouth and squealed! She's making progress! Sure it took half a year or an eternity but finally! And it wasn't even her intention. Karma must be on her side.

Sakura decided to explore the house, but she was more worried about what if some old lady fell on her face in the street? So Sakura walked over to the window and pulled it up. Arrrgh!

After twenty seconds of trying to get the thing up, she stuck a foot out the window, before the door slammed open, revealing a panting Sasuke.

"What are you doing in nii-san's room, fangirl?!"

It was the first time she had seen Sasuke-kun so angry, and his sudden appearance after so long shocked Sakura more than that time with the ghost! Her mouth gasped, she lost all sense of balance, and fell out the window.

Luckily, she was on the 1st floor unlike last time.

Laying sprawled out on her back, her feet pressed against the wall, she stared up as Sasuke peeked his face out the window to peer down at her.

Eep! Sakura closed her legs, hoping Sasuke didn't see her panties although she wouldn't mind if he did.

Sasuke huffed and slammed the window shut. Then the window opened and she heard a shout "You're so **annoying**! Always following me, asking me out. Just when I think you've left me alone, you show up in aniki's room! Don't ever come again! Or you'll regret it." Promptly the window was nailed shut.

_Don't cry don't cry don't cry don't cry don't cry don't cry don't cry don't cry don't cry don't cry don't cry_

**Cha! He was probably too surprised to see you that's all! Someone must have put him in a bad mood beforehand! It must be Naruto! Go beat him up or punish him for Sasuke-kun or something! **

Inner wasn't helping. Sakura was paralyzed, shaking, and still chanting in her head. Finally, the tears returned back inside her eyes and she stood up, dusting her dress. There was an old person she needed to help.

_How about Hana?_

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, she's going to need some help. What did Ob- I mean, _he_ say about Hana?"

**She likes pineapples. **

Sakura smirked, wiping her eyes. Yes, Hana was in for a big surprise at how Sakura "guessed" Hana's favorite fruit.

Sakura weaved a few hand seals, used her leftover blood, and slammed it to the grass. Koneko was summoned. He was gray with silver stripes. He licked his paw and gave her a look that reminded of her Sasuke-kun's, the 'I'm too cool for you' look.

Sakura dug her hand into her red pocket and handed the cat some ryo bills. "Go to the supermarket and buy a pineapple for me."

The cat snorted. "Lazyass."

Sakura placed her hands on her hips and gave a stern look.

The cat sighed, taking the money in its mouth and running off.

* * *

櫻

* * *

Koneko's yellow eyes scanned the supermarket stalls before leaping onto the pineapple section and taking the large leafy stem of the pineapple in its mouth. T_he sooner I get this over with, the better._

Pouncing over to the cashier, Koneko dropped the money and meowed.

The cashier was too shocked to take the money, he just kept staring at Koneko.

"What? I bet you don't treat the Inuzuka dogs this way." Koneko got tired of the gawks and picked up the pineapple, ready to leap off and return to Sakura.

The cashier snapped back to senses and said, "Oh! That's not enough money, the price was raise-" _Poof._

The cat and pineapple vanished, replaced with a large amount of smoke that seeped into the cashier's eyes, and the impression that the cat had raised its middle finger as a wave.

"GET BACK HERE!" The cashier shouted at nothing.

* * *

櫻

* * *

Sakura had resummoned Koneko. "Sorry, I didn't feel like waiting for you to return and figured this was fastest-Wow, that's a very large pineapple. I didn't give you that much money did I-"

Koneko thrust the pineapple at her face and she caught it like a basketball, although the sharp points cut into her hands. "Ow!" She screeched, high-pitched.

Koneko's ears lowered and he hissed back, "You almost got me arrested. I'm not your lapcat. Get Meneko to do it next time-She's a suckup."

"Idiot, this is just once, and," Sakura reached into her pocket and tossed Koneko a bag of catnip. "Thanks for your help."

Catching it with his fangs, he tilted his muzzle attempting to grin. "A whole bag? Don't expect me to share, Saku-kun."

She shuddered at the nickname, and Koneko vanished before she could scold him.

* * *

櫻

* * *

Taking the pineapple to Hana's house, Sakura climbed inside through the backwindow (Yes, she does this a lot) and landed onto the dining floor. She was surprised to find that there were ten other old people inside.

"Um guys, what's going on?"

"Oh Sakura-chan! I'm s-So sorry! Is that a pineapple?!" Sawa burst into tears. This was not usual, old people tended to get emotional at the smallest things, maybe Sawa was touched and happy.

Shiko came up, and patted Sawa's back, and cleared his throat. He stared deep into Sakura's emerald eyes, and said, "I'm sorry to say this, Sakura, but Hana-chan didn't wake up from bed this morning from natural causes of old age.

Hana-chan is dead."

The pineapple dropped to the floor, crushed into a million wet pieces.

* * *

櫻

* * *

Unbeknownst to her, Tobi smiled.


	20. Cold Reality

花

* * *

"How can that be?!" Sakura shouted, her heatbeat doubling. She ran upstairs and stared at Hana's cold body. Hana was the first old person she ever helped!

She ignored the bunch of old people slowly making their way after her, and felt a sudden compulsion. Sakura forced as much green chakra to her palms as possible.

Hana was the one who made medical ninjutsu possible for her.

Sakura pushed the healing chakra towards Hana's chest. She got a diagnosis but no heartbeat. She pumped, and pumped, and pumped, but Hana-san won't revive.

A wrinkly hand squeezed her shoulder, and she finally looked up. Sawa was shaking her head. "It's natural for old people to die. There's no cure to it, we're die soon too."

Sakura's fists clenched. "No!"

"Sakura, we know you're upset, but that's a part of life."

"No! I won't let you die! Any of you! I'll-I'll," Sakura took in all the mourning faces, none of them had any sleep, their eyebags evident and their skin crested from crying. "I'll become the best medic nin ever and bring Hana back!" She didn't feel like herself, those weren't her words, yet at the same time they were, they were what her heart desired, what her **Inner** might have voiced, but never the real Sakura. It was such a noble promise built upon fantasy, yet it was still a promise, and Sakura was not one to break promises, not even to the idiot Naruto.

"Sakura-chan, you can't bring people from the dead."

"I'll heal her!"

"You can't. She's dead. The funeral will be held in six days."

Sakura felt the pent up tears from the earlier dispute with Sasuke build up in her eyes, and soaked down her cheeks. She wiped her face. Sakura was a pretty girl, and pretty girls don't cry, crying is ugly. Sakura turned heel and fled, she ran down the stairs and burst out the door, running back to the only friend she could confide in. Naruto was too stupid to understand, Sasuke hated her, and Ino was her rival. Obito-kun was the only one who knew Hana, sure he may be a ghost but Sakura didn't give a shit.

* * *

花

* * *

It started raining. Sakura was drenched, her pink hair trailing over her shoulders and her red dress clinging to her body. She didn't care. "Obito...kun," she weakly whispered to the marble KIA stone.

She felt something prod her mind and accepted it like it was a part of her own system.

* * *

花

* * *

Sakura blinked. She was back in her black mindscape, Inner standing like a giant mirage above her with her arms crossed, like a guardian of sorts.

Obito stood before Sakura, they were nearly the same height, but Obito a few inches taller. Well, he was 12.

"Let me guess, Hana-san is dead."

Sakura nodded, not questioning the knowledge of ghosts.

"I met with her just now," he lied easily, "She's wants to come back to life again, but hey, who doesn't, hell, even I want to."

Sakura looked at him with hope in her eyes.

"Hana told me that corpses have no connection towards dead souls, so they make better use as contribution for the living world. Hana said she wouldn't want her dead body to be wasted, rotting in a grave, when it could help your medical studies, perhaps even to revive her." Obito's smile widened impossibly, it looked almost creepy.

But that wasn't on Sakura's mind. She was staring at Obito with new-found interest. "H-Hana-san really said that?"

"Especially her eyes."

"B-But," Sakura's mind flashed through the possibilities. "I-I can't just take Hana's corpse from the funeral. That's impossible, it would feel wrong and-"

"Sakura-chan, what's more important? Your feelings, or Hana's revival?"

Sakura looked down. "My feelings should come last."

"Good girl." Obito looked full of mirth, as if laughing at an inside joke she wouldn't get.

Sakura felt a large hand land onto her head and ruffle her hair into more of a mess, it was the same motion Minato did to Obito and Kakashi, that Kakashi would do to Naruto and Sasuke in the future. She leaned closer to the hand, its touch the only "physical" comfort she could hope to get, even though it was all in her head.

"Sakura, I'm not saying you should take Hana's body for research," he shuddered, "That _would_ be wrong. The others have set up a funeral and everything, but you should take this scenario as preparation...What if an Uchiha dies? I want you to take their eyes. The Sharingan has the power to learn techniques that should take years in mere seconds. Should there be a situation where," Obito slowly held her face, "An Uchiha happens to die beside you, if you don't take their eyes, someone else will. An enemy, perhaps. You wouldn't want that falling into the wrong hands, do you?"

Sakura doubted that was possible, but she didn't doubt ghosts weren't crazy, so she nodded. "Yes. I read in a textbook that Hunter Nin are supposed to dispose of the missing-nin's body completely in order to keep kekkei genkai off enemy hands. I suppose it would save them the trouble and risk, if I were to do it myself," Sakura tapped her chin.

He was quiet for a moment, looking thoughtful...Then, slowly, he reiterated,

"Sakura-chan is a good girl."

* * *

花


	21. Medical Ninjutsu

黑

* * *

Sakura had fallen into depression. She was missing weeks of school.

But that was okay, Sakura wasn't alone. She had a ghost to keep her company. And, it wasn't like she wasn't getting her education.

* * *

"Sakura-chan, let's go this way," Obito was walking beside Sakura through one of Konoha's slums. It was nearby where Naruto lived, just deeper into the poorer areas.

She didn't like the leering looks she was getting, and she didn't think Obito had any combat abilities since he had long died. She reached over and poked Obito, her hand phrasing through his body like he was only an illusion. Sakura drew her hand back, certain now more than ever he was a ghost, and not that he had a intangibility technique.

She didn't know that Obito was in reality, a physical Tobi casting a genjutsu over himself to appear like his younger self. They were in public but no one in the slums would have recognized a person who died a decade ago.

"Over here, through this manhole," Obito sunk under the round lid in the middle of an empty street, and Sakura pushed some chakra to her fingers to pull the metal lid aside, exposing a ladder that must have went a thousand feet underground. She tentatively stepped onto the ladder and slowly moved her hands and feet to descend, but not before pulling the lid shut.

There was no light source, and Sakura was in the absolute dark, clinging to a ladder hundreds of feet above ground. She shuddered, wondering if there were rats waiting down to consume her, or something disgusting like sewer water full of poop and trash.

"O-Obito-kun," Sakura squeaked, slowly descending.

"Don't worry, I'll, uh, catch you if you fall, I mean, if I can, I really can't since I'm a ghost," Obito amended. That did nothing to calm her nerves.

She felt her anger well up, Obito was reminding her of Naruto! She huffed, and descended faster.

"Actually, Sakura, you should learn to land on your feet with chakra. I can't wait here all day and you're too scared to take one step at a time without a minute break each step." Obito put on his lecturing voice, "First, you move the right amount of chakra to your feet, just before you land, and upon touching the gorund, you should expel the same amount of chakra correlating to your body weight and the landing friction. It takes practice to get it right, if you're not a physics nerd."

"I am a physics nerd,"

"Still, hands-on approach."

"Obito, I am not dropping myself off this ladder when I can't see the floor. How do you expect me to land properly?"

"Right," Obito grinned sheepishly,

"Wait, why are you so close to me? Ghosts can float?"

"Err, sorta, I'm standing on the side wall with ghost-chakra. You shouldn't try it, it's slippery and flat and wet and hard to control. Just take the ladder."

Ten minutes past and when Sakura descended the last step, she was shocked to feel the flat floor. "Wow! I actually made it!" She glanced up, "I just hope I'll be able to find my way back. It's so dark and the ceiling looks the same everywhere."

"Follow me!" Obito put a slight glow over himself and walked down the hall of the sewer system. He looked almost divine.

Sakura followed.

"So you see, this is an abandoned laboratory of a guy named Orochimaru! It's such a waste that no one's using it, I bet Sarutobi's sentimentality had a hand in that. And, he never returned to use it after he got chased out of the village. It's yours now."

"W-What? I can't just take-"

"Here's the map."

She took it and gasped at the sight of a maze outline.

"There are tons of seals that make places not look connected to others, or accessible, but I'm sure I can figure it out for you. Who knows, maybe you might even learn one or two things about fuuinjutsu."

"Okay," Sakura replied, entering a room full of stacks of research notes.

"This is the medical ninjutsu invention room...I bet some of Tsunade's stolen stuff are here." Obito said, gesturing grandiosely to the shelves. "I expect you to spend the rest of your nights studying here rather than at the Academy. Also, learn to make a chemical that preserves eyeballs, and some more..." Obito smirked, having a medic nin to transplant Nagato's Rinnegan into his eye socket was an appealing notion. He was reminded of Rin, removing and transplanting his Sharingan into Kakashi. "Transplantation techniques."

Sakura looked utterly repulsed, but after a few carefully chosen words with just the right amount of guilt placed on her, Sakura relented.

Obito smiled. _She's easier to control than Rin, at least. _

"Now get to work. I expect you here every night, we don't have much time." He hushed her before she could ask 'much time for what?' and told her to use the secret routes he pointed out in the map.

"No matter what, if you get discovered, you'll be sent to Torture and Interrogation. You don't want that, do ya, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura shook her head profusely, sweat beading down her forehead and neck. She didn't sign up for this...

"Good girl. Finish that shelf by the end of this week, and proceed to the next." He paused, "I have to return to 'heaven' now...I can't spend much time away from the death realm, or too far away from the KIA Stone, but I'm getting better at this." He smirked. "You're a bookworm, aren't you? This should be easy. Also, there's a light switch beside the door. Enjoooy~" Obito, spiraled out of existence.

Sakura watched, transfixed, before sighing, walking over to the light switch, and turning it on. She shuddered at the stacks of yellow, dirty paper and the trash on the floor. No doubt there were germs and bugs and dust and rats.

She walked over to the bookshelf, grabbed a scroll, took a seat on a clean spot on the floor, and began to read, her fingers shivering at the soggy parts of the scroll.

Sakura desperately wanted to wash her hands. But that compulsion gradually reduced, as she gained more insight on medical techniques than the textbooks ever provided her. Orochimaru, or Tsunade, or whoever did all this reseach, was a true genius.

She summoned a Koneko and asked him to borrow some reference books at the Konoha Public Library. There were still some words she didn't understand, and Obito wasn't here to define them.

* * *

黑

* * *

Itachi looked around, his hand gripping Sasuke's softly. He'd expected Sakura to be here, but she wasn't present at Hana's funeral. The other elders apparently thought the same thing, judging by their expressions of disbelief and scanning eyes.

"Have you seen Sakura?" The old woman who threw rice buns at Sasuke whenever he was on the way to school asked.

"No," Sasuke said, clenching his fists. He looked at his brother, seeing a worried expression on Itachi's face, which was rare enough already, and Sasuke decided he quite hated Sakura. That fangirl doesn't deserve all this attention, there was nothing special about her, she only did everything to impress Sasuke.

_This is unexpected_, Itachi thought._ Perhaps she doesn't have as much compassion as she seemed, or she doesn't care about others once they're dead...Or it might not even be lack of compassion but rather too much sadness that she had simply given up fully on anything regarding Hana-san. _

He didn't know how wrong he was.

* * *

黑


	22. Depression

黑

* * *

Naruto was sad. Worried, even. But mostly just sad.

Over the last few weeks, he'd seen a side of Sakura that he'd never known existed! The prankster side, she was really creative and she secretly loved pranks like his. They used to pull a prank everyday, run, and laugh it off like criminal buddies. Naruto always wanted a friend, and he got someone even better, a_ best friend_. And with _Sakura-chan_ of all people. It was his crush, and Naruto was in heaven.

Then...

Then..Sakura started acting like Shikamaru. It had happened slowly.

First, there was a week Sakura had vanished from existence. Naruto overheard some villagers talk about an old person from the Uchiha clan dying of old age, and he frowned. Sakura really liked old people, didn't she? She must have found out and been sad. That's why she cuts class, right? Naruto cuts class too when he's sad or bullied too hard and wants alone time, is that the same for Sakura-chan? Naruto knew when he wanted alone time, he really didn't want alone time, he just didn't have a friend. So, he tried to look for Sakura, certain she'd need someone's shoulder to cry on.

But, Naruto couldn't find Sakura. She wasn't at home, (and that was strange because her parents acted like everything was normal,) she wasn't at the Uchihas, she wasn't anywhere. Naruto never gave up searching, yet he never found her.

Then, Sakura returned.

She was a mess. Like, a monster had snatched her up, trapped her into the underworld, and transformed her before setting her free.

Naruto shook his head and looked on the positive side. Sakura-chan was back!

He bolted over and hugged her, not a thought about Sakura bopping him in the head and calling him an idiot for hugging her. In fact, he hoped Sakura would do that, it would prove that she's the same old Sakura!

Sakura didn't. She just stood there like a puppet, letting Naruto hug her.

Naruto pulled back to look at her face, and noticed the hollow look in her eyes, which were no longer the bright emerald green, but a mossy, murkier green, and the dark eyebags under them.

She looked like she hadn't slept in ages.

"Ah, Naruto?" Sakura smiled, rubbing the back of her head.

Naruto wondered if she picked this habit from himself or someone else. She didn't have it before she ditched him at their last prank. Nah, it was from Naruto, no one in Konoha has that mannerism so Naruto felt his chest swell with pride, and he grinned. "Yup! Glad you're back, Sakura-chan!"

That was when Iruka-sensei entered the classroom with a clipboard, pen automatically going to mark Sakura absent, but seeing the flash of pink, he withdrew his hand. "Sakura?"

She looked at him, and Iruka's lips parted into an 'o'

Mizuki-sensei followed behind, and leaned over to whisper something into Iruka's ear. He nodded, mumbling something about mourning and depression. They had a secret conversation, or an argument of hushed, yet loud whispers. It was a rare day, because it ended with Mizuki-sensei smirking and Iruka-sensei frowning. This meant Mizuki won it. Usually when a whispered argument ends with both teachers frowning, it meant Iruka-sensei won. This tended to be everyday, but today was not such a day.

Mizuki-sensei walked over to them, and placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Welcome back, Sakura-chan. You look tired. You can relax for today's lesson," his eyes curled mirthfully. "You can relax for all the lessons." _Maybe then, you'll fail the graduation exam and steal the Scroll of Seals for me. Iruka always has an eye on Naruto, but no one watches over you. Perfect.  
_

Sakura nodded. "Thanks, Mizuki-sensei. I needed it." She made her way over to the abandoned seat, plopped down, set her head on the desk, and fell right asleep, not once considering how many weeks Naruto must have spent sitting by himself.

Now, there were two sleepers in class. A boy sleeping for the hell of it, and a girl sleeping because she needed it.

Naruto sat beside the occupied seat, glad his friend was back, but also feeling that she wasn't back. She was just a body.

Weeks flew by, and Sakura was always asleep in class. Naruto was reverting back to his old self, attention-seeking to the extremes and overly-considerate towards Sakura, too shy to ask her out anymore.

Mizuki-sensei smiled, content that Sakura's grades were decreasing as she napped through exams too. At this rate, she was bound to fail. He didn't realize Sakura spent 12 hours consistently studying medical-ninjutsu each night. Such a nocturnal schedule couldn't be good for a young developing body.

But, Obito had said that once Sakura became a genin, she wouldn't have enough time to properly study, plus her brain would have a harder time absorbing information as she aged older. Adding in a bit of persuasion involving the elders' wish for her to become Hokage and revive them, and that if she can't do something as easy and necessary as studying, then she can't reach higher goals, Sakura relented and did what Obito wanted.

_All according to plan._

* * *

黑


	23. Rin

眼睛

* * *

84 hours of study per week.

Weeks of this.

Sakura couldn't stand it.

"Please, Obito, I'm tired, I want to sleep, and I hate science and medical ninjutsu!" Sakura finally snapped. "I used to get sick to my stomach at reading Orochimaru's experiments but now I can't feel even that! I'm numb, Obito!"

"Tsk, tsk," Obito shook his head just slow enough to send her jolts of guilt. "Sa-ku-ra, you want to save them, don't you?"

"..."

"They're counting on you."

Sakura looked at him desperately, frowning.

"You asked me to train you, didn't you?" She hadn't, he offered her; nonetheless, Sakura nodded.

Obito adjusted his goggles, "You've got the lowest taijutsu scores in your class," Obito didn't bother to state the reason was Sakura's lack of sleep, "So your only strong point is your mentality. Your Inner is proof of that. Which is why, you should keep stuffing knowledge inside your little head until you burn out. This. Is. _Training_."

Sakura shivered, looking down. "Okay," she whispered.

Obito had an idea. "We don't have much time, but I agree that your brain needs its rest," he held up his finger, "Why don't you try switching places with your Inner, Sakura?"

"Y-You mean so I can go to sleep and have Inner study for me?"

At Obito's nod, Sakura regained her confidence, "This means I never have to sleep, right? Because me and my Inner take turns resting."

Obito's eyes raised. "Perhaps mentally, it's true. But you must get physical sleep for your body, or you'll get eyestrain, and your nervous system would be constantly turned on. No matter how strong your mind is, your body won't keep up, Ri- -Sakura."

Sakura rubbed her drooping eyes, yawning. "I'll switch places with Inner me, thanks Obito." She opened her eyes and they were brighter and more assertive than before. "**Cha! I'll finish this whole shelf by tonight!**"

Obito's jaw dropped. "Wow."

* * *

眼睛

* * *

The next day, Sakura went to school and slept through the entire lesson.

When class was dismissed, she missed the pleading look on Naruto's face as she walked off.

* * *

眼睛

* * *

"Sakura-chan, I think today you should take a break," Obito didn't look happy.

"What? Why?" Sakura panicked. "Is it because I'm so useless?"

Obito's gaze softened. "That has nothing to do with it. I want you to go play with your friend and meet with me in a few hours."

"Oh! I should..go help Hana-I mean, the others."

"No, Sakura, not today." Obito placed his hands on her shoulders, "You are going home, and getting your sleep. I will wake you up when it's time for our..date."

Sakura spluttered indignantly, but Obito just grinned sheepishly.

When she turned to leave, his grin turned evil. Discovering the aftermath of the Uchiha Massacre would do her good.

Then he frowned. Ever since he began "training" Sakura, she hadn't helped out the elders for weeks. It was tonight, and Obito considered delaying the massacre for 1 more day, just to let her spend their final moments together before their deaths. He'd have to come up with a excuse to convince Itachi. It wasn't a difficult feat, Itachi was incapable of killing everyone by himself. _But I obviously can't tell the weasel the truth, unless I want him to use my cherry blossom as a bargaining chip against me._

Then Obito smacked himself. _What am I thinking?! It makes no difference now, she'll have all the time she wants with the old geezers once my Tsuki no Me Project is complete! An eternity with them is worth more than 1 day right now! Yeah, that's right! _Obito nodded to himself. _Enjoying their unlimited time together in a peaceful world later on is better than a couple hours right now right before their deaths! _

Then Obito cleared his throat. _The hell am I trying to convince myself for? I'm sounding immature. Acting as my old self is rubbing off on my real self, clouding my judgment. I'll have order a few more executions of kekkei genkai clans to put myself back into the right mental state. Who knows, if they're strong, I might consider getting them recruited for Akatsuki. _

With that, Obito chuckled darkly, dimension-whirling himself back into the Mizukage office.

* * *

眼睛

* * *

"I'm home, mom, dad!" Sakura called out as she entered the living room.

Her parents came downstairs and hugged her before heading off for work or making dinner. Sakura blinked, she hadn't been home for a while, so why were they acting so..normal? Sakura was too tired to think about it, and instead went upstairs, plopping onto the bed and falling asleep instantly. She didn't know Obito used_ genjutsu_ to make them think Sakura came home everyday.

* * *

眼睛

* * *

"Wake up, Saku_rin_."

She could have sworn she felt a grip shaking her shoulders, but when her eyes opened, Obito was standing on her bed. _Ghosts don't touch_.

"Obito-kun," she smiled, feeling a bit better. A bit.

"Sakura, instead of returning to Oro's underground hideout, I was planning to take you to my favorite places today as your day off, but the situation's changed."

Sakura blinked. _What situation?_

"Follow me," Obito strode off, leading her into a forest and going underground a large mole tunnel. Once again, Obito's body glowed as a light source.

Sakura dutifully ignored the mud that dripped from the ceiling and the bugs that scurried around her feet. Once they reached surface, Sakura found she was inside the back entrance of the Uchiha compound. "Uh, why didn't we just enter through the front entrance?"

"Because it's dangerous, as you can see," Obito grandiosely gestured to all the dead corpses scattered on the streets and surely there were more inside. "Itachi killed everyone."

"WHAT?!"

"Oh yeah, go steal some eyesballs before someone else gets to them," _Like Danzo, for example_.

Sakura would have been repulsed at his apathetic order, but then she remembered.

* * *

**Flashback**:_ "Sakura, I'm not saying you should take Hana's body for research," he shuddered, "That would be wrong. The others have set up a funeral and everything, but you should take this scenario as preparation...What if an Uchiha dies? I want you to take their eyes. The Sharingan has the power to learn techniques that should take years in mere seconds. Should there be a situation where," Obito slowly held her face, "An Uchiha happens to die beside you, if you don't take their eyes, someone else will. An enemy, perhaps. You wouldn't want that falling into the wrong hands, do you?"_

* * *

"I don't get it!" Sakura stomped her foot. "All the old people are dead now?!"

"Obviously! Now hurry up or do you want to get accused of murder?" Obito scolded.

Sakura froze, before her Inner smacked her back to her senses. She ran to the first body.

"I waant you to take my Sharingan before the enemy gets them," a translucent mirage of an Uchiha elder stood above the body, urging her.

Obito stood beside her. "Ah, I forgot to tell you, but when an Uchiha dies, their spirit sticks around for a little bit. It happened to me. You should honor their wishes, Sakura-chan."

Sakura stared, her jaw dropping. Then she bit her lip, nervous.

Sakura shut her eyes, and pulled out a storage scroll, summoned a jar with a yellowish liquid. "Do it," the Uchiha's illusion hissed, pointing towards the lifeless body on the floor.

She shuddered, falling to her knees. She pushed yin chakra to her hand to create a scalpel, and scooped out the first eye, and held it with as much disgusted care as possible. She unscrewed the lid of the jar and plopped the optic sphere inside. It floated a bit before sinking.

"Sakura, you have a hundred Sharingan left to collect. Kill your emotions, you can cry about it later." Obito looked thoughtful. "Hana, Sawa, Shiku, Shin, all of them would be so proud, don't you want that?"

That resolved her, and she worked through the night. The few times she hesitated and absolutely refused, specifically when she stumbled across an elder she was overly familiar with, Obito snapped his finger and the corpse's ghost showed up, "persuading" her to take their eyes, or even threatening to kill her if she refused.

By the time she'd stuffed ten jars full of eyeballs and sealed them back into their proper scrolls, she entered the last room Obito led her to. It was the same room she'd woken up in that one time after Itachi discovered her.

She walked over to Mikoto and Fugaku, her emotions bottled up in the verge of breaking, and removed their eyes. Then, she looked up, saw Sasuke, and gasped.

_How could I have forgotten?! _Sakura leaped over to him and pulled him up, breathing an absolute sigh of relief upon seeing he was still alive, just drooling and caught in a genjutsu.

Before Obito could stop her, Sakura raised her hands into the ram seal. "Dispel!"

It didn't dispel.

**Leave him! We have to get going! They're coming, run! **Inner loudly warned.

Sakura stuffed the scrolls in her pockets and ran the hell out of there, no one saw anything.

* * *

眼睛

* * *

Danzo didn't get any eyes for his arm that night.

* * *

眼睛

* * *

...

"It's okay, Sakura, you can cry now," Obito pulled up his goggles and sobbed. It felt good, he'd been a dull husk ever since he became Tobi, but when he was with Sakura, he could be his old self, even if he was merely acting..._Is it completely an act?_

_Not just to Sakura, I can be Obito again to everyone, no strings attached. I just have to endure until the Plan's final stage. Right now, I'm just tasting a little bit of it. It's a strong, bitter taste, but it's a reminder of what I'm fighting for. _

Sakura was shivering with her knees pulled to her chest. She was shakily reciting some stupid rule about "shinobi not being allowed to show their emotions" as she willed her tears to stay inside her eyes. Obito ignored her, choosing instead to sit himself down beside her.

Then, Obito started wailing loudly.

Sakura looked at him in shock, before understanding dawned. _How could I have been so **selfish**? This is his clan, his family, not mine! He must have been it worse than I did! It must have hurt him, suddenly checking up on the people he grew up with- only to see I-Itachi brutally slaughtering him. I hope he didn't see- Who am I kidding, he watched them die right before his eyes, how else could he have known the culprit? And been unable to stop the murderer since he's only a ghost- _

Sakura clenched her fists, firming her resolve. This isn't about herself, it's about him. She shook her head fast, flinging off her tears.

Completely forgetting about his intangibility, she scooted over and crawled into his lap to pull him into a hug, her chin pressed to his shoulder, and sobbed, her eyes closed, whispering the same promises her mother always made when Sakura cried. "E-Everything will be o-okay, O-Obito-kun." **_No matter what, I can't let myself be traumatized now, for Obito-kun's sake!_**

She didn't notice anything amiss about his body feeling larger, almost the same size as papa's, or that his crying voice sounded much deeper than before, raspy even, or that she was _touching_ him, a ghost!

She would later dismiss all this as just her impression.

She barely heard his whisper, and for once, she didn't mind pretending to be someone else.

_"Thank you, Rin."_

_..._

It should have been Sasuke in her arms.

* * *

眼睛


	24. Bye Obito-kun

迷路

* * *

"Pst, did you hear? The Uchiha clan was massacred," a boy whispered to his friend.

"Look, that's the last Uchiha," another boy pointed out.

Sasuke bristled. He got enough of the attention and pity from the villagers, and now he has to deal with the gawking in class too. He was released from the hospital, and given leisure by the Academy teachers. Everyone tried to approach him, comfort him, befriend him. The weaklings, they were just going to slow him down from killing_ that man_.

Naruto ran into the classroom, shouting about Hokages for all the world to hear.

He looked at Sasuke and shut up.

Sasuke glared right back, and did he just see a spark of happiness, empathy in Naruto's cerulean eyes?

He frowned, lacing his hands in front of his mouth to cover his expression, and thought.

_Naruto is an orphan too._ His glare sharpened. Naruto was _always_ alone, what would he know?

_Don't try to suck up to me just because we both have no parents, you've never experienced their love to feel the same loss as I did. Oh, now you're coming over because you think we're equals and should be **friends**? _

Sasuke felt a fist collide against his jaw, knocking him off his seat and hitting his back against the stone floor.

"OI YOU TEME! DON'T GLARE AT ME!"

Sasuke's fists curled and he leaped back to his feet, drawing his fist back and punching Naruto to the ground. His lips twitched automatically, "Dobe."

Naruto's eyes widened, then he jumped back onto his feet. "DON'T CALL ME DOBE!"

"Hn. Usuratonkachi."

"Grrrr!"

Sasuke couldn't hold back his smirk. He didn't want to admit it, but he'd have preferred Naruto's hostility over everyone else's sympathy.

"Grr you teme! Stop smirking like th-"

"NARUTO! GET BACK TO YOUR SEAT!" It was Iruka.

Sasuke hn'd.

"Yes, Iruka-sensei, that's what I've been trying to get him to do," Sakura, once again, tried to get on sensei's good side. _Teacher's pet._ Sasuke snorted disdainfully.

"Ow ow ow ow!" Naruto yelped in pain as Sakura grabbed the end of his ear and pulled him back to his seat.

Sasuke could have sworn Naruto sounded happy from Sakura's brutality. That masochist Naruto.

What he didn't notice was that Sakura had been ignoring Naruto over the past months and now she was starting to turn back into her former, bossy self.

Coincidentally right after his clan's death.

* * *

迷路

* * *

_Two days ago..._

Obito's hand reached behind him and lifted a jar of Sharingan, sending it to his alter dimension. Then, he spared a glance at Sakura, and suddenly felt very awkward. "Aha-ha, Sakura-chan, you don't have to work so hard," Obito commented at Sakura trying to dissect a Sharingan.

He was a little sickened, it felt like Sakura was dissecting _his_ eye. _Man, I must have corrupted this girl a bit too much..But that's her own fault, she was reminding me too much of my old self it was pissing me off_.

"I need to do this, Obito-kun," was Sakura's reply. She didn't look up from her experiment.

Obito crossed his arms. "Hmph!" Inwardly, he grinned. There was no doubt in the future he would need a scientist for the Tsuki no Me plan, someone who could restore fallen comrades or power up their abilities. Perhaps even invent new jutsu that could end the war in one blow. Yes, there was going to be a war. Obito knew people would oppose the Moon's Eye Plan, those fools. They're the filthy rich ones who exploit, eat the poor, kill babies, and slaughter for dirty money. The few ones who weren't, had simply lived happy lives, or were masochists, or made new friends to fill the void. Obito shook his head. No one could fill Rin's void.

"I can't figure out the Sharingan's trick. Judging from the feel of my chakra diagnosis, the pattern looks like a summoning seal but in a way it's not because it's just a differently shaped eye! I think I might comprehend it if I implant it in-" Sakura shuddered. "Nevermind!"

Obito chuckled. "Did you really think I was going to force you into switching your lovely green eyes for my family's scary demon ones?"

Sakura kept quiet.

Obito clicked his tongue, "Oh c'mon! I'm not_ that_ evil!"

"You'd be surprised," Sakura said, pulling out a mirror and frowning at her haggard appearance.

Obito blinked. "Right. As I said earlier, you should take a break. You brought this onto yourself." Obito frowned thoughtfully. "By the way, I..uh...don't think I can..." He looked bashful. "I can't spend time with you anymore afterwards."

"WHAT?!" Sakura dropped everything she was holding and faced Obito. "Why?!"

_Because Itachi agreed to join Akatsuki if I stay away from Sasuke and Konoha? "_I have dead-people stuff to do, you know, trying to get into heaven and all. Besides, once you get a jounin-sensei," _I'll get discovered in two seconds_. "He will be suspicious of your sanity, since you're the only one who can see me."

Sakura looked about to cry.

Obito's heart wrenched. "I know how it feels, losing the people you love. But tell you what," Obito weight the pros and cons of letting her in on his secret, and figured it wouldn't hurt to drop a hint or two. It might help his cause in the long run. "About this Heaven place I'm working on, I'm trying to bring that peace to Earth. So that no one ever dies again, and the ones who did will come back to life. There will be no more evil...But a world of just victors, peace and love...everyone will become one big happy family." He chuckled at her awestruck eyes, "Trust me, it's real, and completely possible."

Sakura started brushing her fingers through her hair, "I believe in you, Obito-kun..."

_But to enjoy it, you'll have to form bonds_. "Sakura-chan, popquiz! If the Hokage orders you to assassinate your friend, would you do it?"

"No!" Sakura blurted out. _What the heck?_ "Of course not! Hokage-sama would never do that."

"The Hokage here won't do that, but other villages would encourage you to, so I want to bring peace to the world," Obito chuckled her worshiper-fangirl-look, "But keep your answer in mind, Sakura."

He smiled nostalgically. "Those that break the rules and regulations are scum. But those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum." He looked at her with a new sense of appreciation. "Heh. Even now, I'm not giving up on Rin and Kakashi."

**Obito-kun is so damn cool!** "I wish you were alive," Sakura said.

"In the end, I'll come back to life," Obito promised. "Then you can introduce me to _your_ friends." He sniffled, rubbing his forearm to his goggles. "It's the dust in my eye."

Sakura's lip quivered. She pulled on her goggles to hide her tears too. "I'll miss you too."

His gaze hardened. "_Don't_ overwork yourself anymore, Sakura-chan. There's no need to worry about the revival of the Uchiha clan...I have it _all_ under control. Someday, I will return to retrieve you; it's a promise," he held out his hand, extending his index and middle finger.

Sakura snapped out of her trance. _It's the Seal of Reconciliation. Iruka-sensei makes everyone do it after a spar._ She copied his motion and held her hand to his.

She didn't physically feel it, but she saw it, their fingers hooking, like binding a promise.

Then, Obito grinned goofily, "Have a normal life! Kids like you should have fun." He sheepishly rubbed behind his head as his image slowly faded out."Um, until we meet again then!"

She didn't see him again for another nine years.

* * *

迷路


	25. Fake

恨

* * *

Sakura was still his fangirl, Sasuke noted.

But her personality flipped a complete 180.

No longer was she a part of the crowd of Sasuke fangirls, rivaling with Ino to be the sorority's leader.

Now, Ino was the lead fangirl and Sakura shrunk back into her shell, stuttering and refusing to look Sasuke in the eye.

In a way, she was like Hinata towards Naruto.

Even Ino noticed, and Ino remembered a time when she regretted bringing Sakura out of her shell, but now she was starting to have second thoughts. Then Ino decided it won't last long anyway since it's _Sakura_, and so to milk it for all its worth, she pursued Sasuke's affections harder.

The bell rang, and it was time for recess and lunch.

Sasuke stood up, sliding his hands into his pockets and walked off to train but-

"A-Ano," Sakura had her hands behind her back. Her eyes were downcast and her pink locks hiding most of her facial expression.

Sasuke grunted, annoyed. "What is it now? Let's get this over with."

Sakura held out her boxed lunch, rice and vegetables, tomatoes and boiled fish. "Here! You're going to train, right? You need the nutrition to g-grow strong," Inner Sakura shouted:** Don't be nervous, you! You're making progress! **

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Then, he snorted. At least one fangirl knew how to be useful. He pulled the bento box with his hand, holding it under his arm. He turned to leave, but he noticed Sakura doing the same to the opposite direction.

The words came out before he could think to regret it, "Aren't you going to follow me?" _Or ask to each lunch with me?_

Sakura froze midstep. "I-..."

"You've been doing this a lot lately. If it's not lunch, you hand me money, shuriken, weapons, things I've forgotten. Just last week you changed the name on your written assignment to 'Sasuke Uchiha' when I missed it. I received a perfect grade, and you scored a 0," By now he was facing Sakura, a deadly glare plastered on his usually stoic face, "but it's not my attention you want. I've offered you multiple opportunities to get my company, you've taken none." _Which means your actions aren't motivated by that annoying crush of yours_. By now he was walking back, stepping closer to her. Their feet were mere inches apart, and she could smell his breath. "You have nothing to gain if you keep avoiding me, yet giving everything up." His curiosity only increased with his words. "You aren't stupid. What are you thinking, Sa-ku-ra?"

Sakura gasped. He sounded like...

_"Don't you want to save them, Sa-ku-ra?"_

_Obito pretended to hug her and she moved to whop his head, only to have her hand phrase through. _

_"You're a smart girl, Sakura, surely you know that."_

_Obito was crying for the death of his family, and Sakura moved to hug him, even if it was only pretend.  
_

"I-..." Sakura stammered.

Sasuke's hand snatched her chin, forcing her to look directly into his eyes. Then, he saw something he didn't like, the same thing he saw in every adult of the village.

_Pity._

_.._

.."So that's how it is...You act this way because of my _heritage," _Sasuke mused. He slammed her to a wall, his forearm pressing against her neck, emitting a pained yelp. She struggled, but he pinned her arms above her head with his free hand. "Let's face it, you're_ worse_ than the fangirls, who only look to me for my appearance." _Even Naruto is above them._ He tightened his grip to watch her wretch in pain. Sasuke snorted, disdained, and released her; she dropped to the floor. "At least they see me for a part of _who_ I am, not _what_ I am." He turned around, sparing a hateful glare over his shoulder. "Out of everyone in this world, you're the _second worst human being possible_."_ Second to that man. And unlike the adults, you were in my classes and knew me before that man killed my family._

His footsteps gradually receded, leaving her gasping for breath. His mouth twisted in a frown as his fists clenched. _You're the type of person I hate the most, Sakura Haruno._

* * *

恨


	26. Playfighting

承认

* * *

Naruto moved his hand to his forehead to block out the sunlight as he ogled around the courtyard, looking for his favorite flash of pink. He saw everything_ but_ that. _Sakura-chan must still be in the classroom. She's probably sleeping agai- _Naruto jumped._ Sakura-chan's not like that anymore! She's back to normal! _So Naruto dashed back indoors.

As he was running inside, Sasuke was walking smoothly past Naruto outside.

Within that millisecond they were beside each other, Sasuke's smirk widened as his hand reached out and grabbed Naruto by the back of his atrocious jumpsuit and using the momentum, swung him to the floor.

Naruto landed on his butt and gasped up at Sasuke. Then, he processed exactly what happened and jumped to his feet, pointing at his bastard rival. "Teme!"

Sasuke smirked, "dobe."

With that, they got into a physical fight that had them wrestling around in the floor. Sasuke was sustaining punches to his face, neck, torso, arms, and all over his body while Naruto was getting about equal the amount of damage, which was rare, as Sasuke was the Number 1 Rookie and Naruto the Dead Last. One would think Sasuke was holding back, purposely taking the hits.

..One would be right.

He was,

_Because of Sakura_.

She was the last straw of the ignorant villagers, who treated him with false, undeserved respect just because he was the last Uchiha. Sasuke hated it. He hated Sakura, and he hated everyone else. But most of all, he hated the man who was the cause of it all.

...

Naruto was different.

Naruto saw through him, saw past his Uchiha status. Sasuke was amused, he should have expected it, the dobe was too dumb to care about any of that. Naruto acted upon his true emotions, aggression towards _Sasuke_ himself, not some 'last Uchiha.'

He took another punch to his jaw while thrusting his knee into his opponent's gut.

Sasuke would never admit it, but he acknowledged Naruto's existence more than ever that day.

* * *

承认

* * *

Back inside the classroom, alone, Sakura curled her knees close and hugged them.

_What have I done?_

She looked down. **You took every one of the Uchiha's eyes.**

"I know that!" Sakura snapped at her Inner.

**Then you felt ashamed of what you did, tried to repent by being nice to Sasuke.  
**

"No, he deserved it! His family is dead, I'd do the same for Naruto!"

**Then why haven't you...done the same for Naruto? **

_..._

**Exactly. You think, since you took so much from Sasuke's clan, you should return what you can. That's why you let him push you around just before, even though you can hold your own. But you know what, Sasuke hates that. **

"As it seems," Sakura allowed mournfully.

**Sasuke isn't his clan. Sasuke isn't the old geezers you loved. Sasuke isn't Obito.**

"I know that!" Sakura snapped.

**Then why have you not once looked him in the eye until he forced you to? Because his eyes...**

_Are the same color as Obito-kun's eyes. _Sakura finished her Inner's thought.

Sakura gasped, her hand flying over her mouth. "How could I have- I'm such a hypocrite!" Sakura realized. She was a hypocrite in many ways, from her past annoyance at Naruto's pestering when she did exactly the same to Sasuke, and now...She could almost laugh. "Just last month I hated how I reminded everyone of someone else."

_To the elders, I'm Obito. To Obito, I'm Rin._ "I wanted it all to stop, for them to see me as just Sakura!" She threw her arms up. "It did stop." _Because now they're gone._

**That's right, Forehead. You're treating Sasuke the same way they treated you. Your kindness isn't for Sasuke, it's for Obito and the elders..! I'll say you deserved to get beat up and spat on. **

"He's right, I'm the worst person ever," Sakura admitted. She sat there sulking for a bit more before shaking her head and trying to wipe off the moisture in her fogged glasses.. She picked herself up. "That's it, from now on, I won't try to pretend that Sasuke is Obito-kun anymore."

**No "-kun?" **

"Because he's not Obito-kun," she explained, completely forgetting the fact that she added the honorific to Sasuke's name long before she met Obito.

**Yes, start small. So you're going to stop thinking of Uchihas every time you so much as look at him, and start treating him normally? **

"Yes, I'll treat him like Naruto. I don't let Naruto push me around, so why should I let Sasuke? Just because he's an Uchiha? That's unfair to Sasuke, and Obito-kun would be ashamed that I'm doing exactly what I hate being done to me."

Inner smirked, finally allowing herself release. **SHANNARO! that's the me that I know! So, everything's okay now? Since you won't be busying yourself with your stupid suck-up-to-Sasuke repentance anymore and Obito-kun's not here to force you to study ninjutsu...**

Sakura smirked back cockily. "Deface the Hokage Monument?"

**Forehead, it's been done. Think of another prank.**

"I'll only pull one if Naruto's in it." _Don't wanna get into trouble by myself._

**Then find him. Naruto's way better at coming up with pranks than you could ever dream to be.**

Sakura's eye twitched, _Oi, I'm still smarter than him. _She huffed at her subconscious attitude, and walked out the classroom, heading out for recess. No doubt Naruto was still outdoors looking for her.

As she walked down the hall, she did a double take long before reaching the exit. The sight that greeted her was of the two boys she was just thinking about wrestling on the floor for each other's lives.

Naturally, a vein burst in her forehead as she clenched her fists and made her way over to them. "NARUUUTO! Fighting is against the rules!" Raising her fists, she thumped _both_ Naruto and Sasuke's heads away from each other. As they laid splattered on the floor rubbing their heads, too out-of-it to process what just happened, Sasuke jeered at her.

"You too, Sasuke!" She stuck out her tongue at him for extra measure.

Sasuke felt his anger flare, but it was a different type of anger, unlike the one he felt for her just before. Astonished, his anger was overtaken by surprise as he just stared at her with widened eyes of disbelief.

Naruto too, but he recovered first as a grin broke out. "Finally, After all these years! Sakura-chan sees Sasuke-teme for who he is! A dumbass bastard!"

Sakura grinned back evilly, cracking her knuckles. "Oh he's dumb alright, for breaking the rules too, but not as stupid as you are for name-calling!"

Sasuke's wide eyes only widened as he watched Sakura tackle Naruto and start wrestling with him, albeit less intensely. _Heh, what a hypocrite. She complains about us fighting yet instantly starts fighting Naruto?_ Then he frowned._ Did she just call me dumb? And hit me?_ Sasuke rubbed the bruise forming on his head,

For something Sasuke himself did.

Against his will, the corner of Sasuke's lip twitched into a mockery of a smile. It was a rush of pride and achievement. His father had always saw him as Itachi's runner-up. The villagers, his teachers, classmates, they saw him as the Last Uchiha. The fangirls saw only his talent, appearance, and status.

Naruto was the only one he would allow himself to get close to. Even if Naruto only saw him as a rival, Sasuke would refuse anyone else, Mangekyou Sharingan be damned, because the only type of person his pride would allow as a _friend_ was someone who judged him by his own actions, and Naruto was one such person, the only one in fact, until...

Sasuke's eyes slid upon the dress of red clashing against the dobe's orange.

He wanted more, and they were the only ones who had it, so he'd taunt them more. "Hn. Such losers."

"What did you just say?!" They chanted simultaneously.

Sasuke's smirk couldn't widen more without splitting his face, and it became a three-way spar.

By by the time recess was over, that part of the school building was utterly demolished, and three kids were thrown before the bemused Hokage.

* * *

承认


	27. The Hyuuga Prank

花

* * *

"But Old Man! Sasuke-teme attacked me first!"

Sarutobi sighed. "According to Iruka-sensei, you always initiate the violence."

"They were both in on it," Sakura ratted out,

"Sakura, you were in on it too," the Hokage reprimanded and Sakura blushed in shame.

Sasuke grunted, opting to stay silent.

The Hokage shoved aside his paperwork and set his elbows upon the desk, contemplating the three kids before him. Then, he took a deep breath and released as much killing intent aura as possible, scaring the hell out of them. Sakura and Naruto were hugging each other in fear and Sasuke's feet gave out that the only reason he was still vertical was that his body was leaning against them.

Sarutobi removed the killing intent, and they all gasped in relief and slumped to the floor. The Hokage smiled like a grandfather. "You three are still academy students of the Village, so there's not much you can do to amend to your actions." He tried to give them a stern look. Naruto and Sakura tensed up, before they slumped, crestfallen, and Sasuke glared back, sweat still tricking down his neck.

"From now on, don't spar without a supervisor until you three are genin."

Naruto was the first one to recover, and the only one who read the Hokage's cue. "Yatta!" He turned to Sakura and Sasuke. "He's saying we're free to go!"

Sakura blinked. "Really?"

Sasuke smirked. "He's right. Let's go." He slid his hands into his pockets and led the way out.

Sakura followed after and Naruto was the last one out, but not before giving a thumbs-up to the Hokage.

Sarutobi chuckled at his antics, and as the door shut, he smiled. "Wolf, I believe it's about time you retire."

The silver-haired ANBU removed his mask, revealing another mask. He eye-smiled. "It is."

* * *

花

* * *

"Sasuke, you okay?"

"..."

"Naruto?"

"I'm awesome!"

"...I'm fine," Sasuke decided to answer after seeing her ask Naruto too.

* * *

花

* * *

Apparently Sakura was determined to treat Sasuke 'normally,' even if it meant interacting with him more often in order to pull _that_ off.

Naruto tried to protest at first but ended up listening to Sakura. Secretly, he also liked Sasuke, they both had no parents, and Naruto related to that.

Sasuke figured, _better them than anyone else_.

* * *

花

* * *

It was lunchtime. Sakura grabbed Sasuke's hand and he was about to pull back, but saw her grab Naruto's as well.

This would happen every time the three of them went off to do something, so Sasuke gradually grew used to it, she did release his hand after reaching the destination, after all. Naruto was long accustomed to it.

This was how Sakura was always in the middle when the future team 7 stood together. Neither would admit it, but she was also their leader, at least in _leading_ them to places.

* * *

花

* * *

Everyone gaped at the sight, rubbing their eyes to make sure it wasn't just a genjutsu.

_Sasuke Uchiha_ was sitting with the two misfits of the class.

_Sasuke Uchiha_ was eating lunch with _Naruto_ and _Sakura_.

Sasuke had a disgruntled expression on his face while Sakura giggled at something Naruto blurted out.

* * *

花 Time skips 花

* * *

At the library, some fangirls murderously watched the scene of Sakura tutoring Sasuke.

Sasuke scored perfect grades in every test, what did Ugly Forehead have to teach him?

"Work on this problem yourself, I need to go wash my hands," Forehead said, standing up to leave.

Ami gaped, she expected Forehead to eat up all the time Sasuke-kun had to offer, not excuse herself in the middle of their 'study session!' Her hands weren't even dirty! Hell, even if Ami had dirt and blood on her hands, she'd stick with Sasuke-kun 'til the end before going to wash her hands.

"Again?" Sasuke clicked his tongue in annoyance, without looking up from the papers. "Tch. It's your fourth time today. You're always off washing your hands." He didn't know Sakura was mentally washing the Uchihas' blood off her hands.

Sakura ignored him and left, but not before slapping the back of Naruto's shoulder just as he arrived. Naruto saw Sasuke by himself and eyed his notes. "Oh! I know this stuff! I'll tutor you while Sakura-chan's peeing!" Naruto's face took on a deep red blush at his vulgarity.

Sasuke facepalmed. "Alright, dobe. Don't think you're smarter than me, you simply learned this material first."

"Heheheh, ya sure about that? 'cos Sakura-chan says I'm as smart as she is!" Naruto taunted as he took Sakura's vacant seat, pulling out his crayons to doodle on the seals Sasuke was working on.

Sasuke chuckled. "Only a moron uses crayons for advanced sealing techniques."

"TEME!"

The fangirls had backed away thirty feet. Their moms and dads told them to stay away from the Naruto brat. Ami whispered furiously to the others; "Why is the dumbest boy in class teaching Sasuke-kun?!"

The second girl merely shrugged. "Beats me. But I'm not going to be close to Sasuke-kun with Naruto around him or mom will get mad."

The third girl frowned. "So get Naruto away from Sasuke-kun then!"

"There's no need," a voice sounded, and all three girls turned to see Sakura. Sakura pointed. They looked back to see Naruto and Sasuke wrestling around on the floor and the papers torn to shreds. A few more loud outbursts later, they hmphed and crossed their arms, stubbornly looking away from each other. Then they stomped away from each other madly.

Sakura pointed her nose up knowingly. "Oh it happens a lot, and there's nothing you girls can do about it." She smirked. "If you try to drive them apart, it makes no difference because they already hate each other in the first place. So save yourself the time and don't bother," she said in a snobby voice.

Ami glared. "Then why are they always together?!"

"And why is Sasuke-kun nice to you?!" Another backed up.

The other girl leaned a little closer to Sakura, curious of her answer.

Sakura smirked back confidently. "Because we're best friends and nothing can split us apart!"

_Not even their rivalry._

* * *

花 Time skips 花

* * *

Sasuke groaned. Naruto was tugging Sasuke's sleeve and pulling him towards the Hyuuga compound. Sakura was already crouched behind the bushes, and upon spotting them, waved them over.

"Today we're going to put slugs inside their beds and record their reactions! This is going to be the best challenge ever!" Sakura exclaimed, eagerly adjusting her glasses.

Naruto explained. "That's 'cos they have these super white eyes that make them see _everything_! From the back of their heads too!"

"Which means this will be a good training exercise for us to get stronger," Sakura persuaded him before Sasuke decided it was a 'waste of time.'

"And they always got this face on them liiike," Naruto's hand stroked his chin in thought, before figuring it out, "Yeah! They got YOUR face, Sasuke-teme!"

"He's saying they're expressionless," Sakura felt the need to explain, quite unnecessarily because Sasuke already knew it was an insult from Naruto.

"Dobe," he started, but felt a hand clasp over his mouth. It was Sakura's, and one of the rare times she actually touched him, aside from their spars. Sasuke almost recoiled; if it were anyone else, he would have pushed them off with brutal force. But Sakura wasn't a fangirl, so he settled for a death glare.

"Shh!" Sakura hushed him. "Okay, we all know how to suppress chakra, right?" She shot a pointed look at Naruto, who gulped and nodded. "Just a lil'," he admitted.

"Sasuke, did you bring the seals?"

Sasuke frowned, pulling out his notebook. He had filled out 3/4th of the book with surveillance seals, and had planned to finish the rest by today, which was why he brought it along in the first place.

Sakura snatched it and skimmed through the pages before nodding firmly. "Okay, Sasuke, you're going to sneak in, break inside their homes and install the seals. Naruto, you're going to tag along with Sasuke and slide the slugs in every bed you can find. I'll be the lookout."

"Oi! You're making us do all the grunt work again Saku-chan!"

"Neither of you have chakra detecting glasses," was her retort.

Sasuke snorted. "Don't tell me we're going to barge inside enemy territory without a map."

"A real shinobi must take risks, no matter how dangerous! Right, Naruto?"

"Yeah! I never go back on my word!"

They shared a conspiring grin, and Sasuke harrumphed condescendingly. "Knuckleheads, both of you."

Nonetheless, he went through with their plan. He was curious of how well his seals functioned, after all.

* * *

花 Time Skips 花

* * *

**Author Note**: Kakashi shows up soon! (Maybe because they're growing up so fast) But after some important events first!


	28. Sasuke

Hiashi Hyuuga crawled into bed and felt something slimey crawl into his pants. He screamed as he jumped out of the bed, gripping his bedstool while panting hard. 'Byakugan!'

_Just a slug_.

He relaxed, picking up the gel-animal by his hands and tossing it out the window.

* * *

玻璃

* * *

Naruto and Sakura burst out laughing.

Sasuke smirked.

* * *

玻璃

* * *

Neji Hyuuga crawled into bed and felt something slimey slither across his body. "Gentle Fists: 38 Trigrams!" He screamed, demolishing his entire room, including Sasuke's surveillance seal. But, not before it sent the scene to Sakura's glasses.

* * *

玻璃

* * *

"Oi, oi, Sakura-chan, who's that?"

"He seems strong, I want to fight him."

"...I've seen him around the Academy in a different class. Anyway, that's an extreme reaction to a slug. You sure you didn't draw a heat seal on it?"

"...No."

* * *

玻璃

* * *

Hinata Hyuuga crawled into bed. She felt something slither up her leg and 'eep'd. Pulling her blankets back, she saw a tiny cute slug. Gently, she grabbed a tissue paper and picked up the slug. Carefully, she exited the room and took it to the garden to set it free.

* * *

玻璃

* * *

"...That was a waste of time," Sasuke exhaled, getting up to leave. "Why am I watching this with you idiots?" _It's not going to make me stronger. _"I'm going to spend my time more productively, and train."

Naruto had his eyes glued to the screen. "Oi, Sakura, that slug is reusable for another prank 'cos it's alive. I'mma go collect it."

Sakura shrugged, turning off her TV. They were at the living room of her house, on the floor of the couch, reviewing the results of their prank, and those were the last ones. "Since you two have something to do, I'm going to visit some old friends.."

* * *

玻璃

* * *

At the Uchiha cemetery, Sakura crouched on her knees and stared at the tombstones. The tombstones stared back.

_Hana_

_Sawa_

_Shin_

_Shiku_

And some more names she never bothered to learn, to which she now regretted. She always referred to them as madam, grandma, old lady, old geezer, sir, etc.

As a result, she didn't know which grave was where_,_ except for these four. _  
_

_It doesn't matter,_ she tried to convince herself._ Yeah! Normally I don't believe in this stuff, but ever since I met Obito-kun...I really hope they can hear me...__  
_

..Sakura took a deep breath, then her words came out so short and fast, like she was rushing.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have ignored you guys for so long. When you were still alive, you needed help, but I didn't provide it. I was 'training,' studying for my own selfish reason: I wanted Hana to come back. I was so focused on her that I pushed all of you away, even when you were alive and right there in front of me. I'm sorry I vanished from your lives. There was still so much time we could have shared together, but I wasted it all. I'm so sorry. Studying could always come later, the dead can wait. Sawa, you said it's natural for old people to die. Your deaths weren't natural, but I still should have listened to you. Maybe then, I would have valued the time you had left." Before she realized it, her lip was quivering and her eyes were filled with water, threatening to pour out. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you what I was doing. I thought you'd object. I'm sorry I worried you." Her shoulders shook, and she removed her glasses out of respect, or to keep them dry. "I'm sorry I betrayed every one of you."

..

.._drip_.

..

..

"Sakura,"

...

"Sa-ku-ra," a foot nudged her back, and slowly, her head tilted back to see..._Obito-kun?_ She blinked hard, the tears that blurred her vision slid out of her eyes, and it was..._Oh, it's just him._

"Sasuke! Um, what are you doing here?" She cocked her head, plastering a sweet smile on her face.

_That's what I was about to ask you._ He answered dryly, "I live here."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her failed attempt at concealing her emotions. "You knew them." It wasn't a question. She was crying. That was stupid. Sasuke didn't cry over his parent's deaths. He was sad, but he didn't cry, he didn't let himself cry, not until he killed _that man_. He was furious. He wanted to kill _him_.

His eyes flickered across the tombstones, slowing down upon spotting his parent's names, moving past and landing back onto Sakura's crouched figure. "Now that I'm starting to recall back, you were close to _him _too, weren't you?" _You were in Itachi's room five years ago._

Sakura curled up, not knowing what he was talking about, too afraid to ask.

He heaved a sigh. "My _brother," _he spat, like it was the most disgusting thing in the world. "The murderer."

"I-Itachi?" Her perfect memory was damning her, she never forgot a word Obito-kun slipped out.

That name is a curse. That name makes Sasuke insane. There was a reason he never uses that name even in his thoughts.

"Y-You traitor!" Sasuke's knee swung into her chest, slamming her back against Hana's tombstone. The breath escaped her lungs and she gasped. "Why didn't you say anything sooner, Sa-ku-ra?" He leaned down, his breath in her ear. "Were you scared?" _As scared as I was? Betrayed like I was? _"Would I hurt him if I hurt you?"

Sakura's eyes were wide in fear. "N-No! I don't know, you're wrong, you're wrong!" She grasped at his knee, he was pressing painfully against her developing breasts. "I only knew the old geezers! I didn't know anyone else! Not him! Please! Sas-u-_kun_!"

Sasuke withdrew, watching her collapse. He felt his stomach coil, but he ignored it. "How do you know_ his_ name?"

"H-Heard it-somewhere," she managed right before falling facefirst into the dirt.

Sasuke's fists clenched. He felt regret, but he dismissed it. Regret was for the weak. It would only chain him down from facing _that man_. He looked down at Sakura, and decided that not doing anything about this would be even more of a shackle than any display of remorse. "Sorry, Sakura," he said softly.

She went silent, afraid he'd hit her again. It wasn't really painful, he hit her just as hard in their spars, but those were spars where Naruto was involved, and this was more personal, and scary. ...

He didn't make a move, so she pushed herself up. She unzipped her dress and reached reached her hand underneath her bra, sending healing chakra directly over her wound. Now wasn't the right time for decency.

Sasuke lowered his head. "They gave me rice bean buns on my way to the Academy." He walked over to the next grave. "They were my grandparents." He stepped over them. "Their siblings." He reached the end of the row. "My cousins." He changed lanes. "My uncle, aunts." He stopped upon two graves laid side by side, staring at them fondly. "Father and mother..."

Sakura looked at him. It never occurred to her that the grandparents could have been_ Sasuke_'s grandparents._ Stupid me. _

His bangs hid his eyes. "He took everything from me." His nails dug into his palms. "I deserve something back." His eyes flashed. "I'll take his life." His glare sharpened. "I'll avenge them."

Sakura looked away. She didn't care about any of that.

Sakura wasn't an avenger. She was a girl who missed her grandparent-figures.

She didn't become strong to kill Itachi, she grew stronger to bring them back.

"I'll revive them," she promised timidly.

Somehow, Sasuke heard. He was beside her again. "Interesting...that's the second part of my ambition," he answered cryptically. Sakura didn't know what he meant, surely he didn't have the same means as she did. He looked amused, holding out his hand. "You can try," he challenged.

Surprisingly, Sakura smirked, having an idea; she grabbed his hand and pulled herself up, eager to tell him. Sasuke clicked his tongue and zipped the front of Sakura's dress up.

She realized her indecency and blushed in embarrassment. "A-Ah, u-um, you didn't see that!" She rubbed the back of her head, and looked him in the eye more seriously. "Let's make a bet."

Sasuke already knew what she meant, he hadn't been friends with the two idiots for nothing. "You think you can revive the clan faster than I can kill _that man_."

Sakura's smirk returned. "Yep. I need the motivation right in front of me."

Sasuke paused, surprised. He was always thinking of Itachi, afraid to forget, afraid he wasn't strong enough, didn't hate enough. Afraid to _forget_. He snorted. "Do as you wish, I don't care."

They both knew he was accepting the bet underneath his dismissal.

* * *

玻璃

* * *

"N-N-Naruto-kun.." Hinata stuttered out.

She fainted when she saw Naruto, she fainted again when she woke up in Naruto's arms, and she was tempted to faint again upon waking up in her bed, but Hinata wasn't going to faint to that tiny stalk of yellow hair pointing from the bottom edge of the window stall. "I-I can see you," she informed him.

"I knew I shoulda ducked lower!" Naruto straightened, showing his face through her window. "Oi, you're that weird girl in my class!"

She eep'd,

"I'mma trust ya with one big secret! Don't tell anyone, dattebayo!" Naruto started jumping from feet to feet.

_Naruto-kun trusts me?_

"The deepest top secret is..." Naruto gesticulated widely. "I was here!"

Hinata stared, her face red. "T-Thanks for trusting me with your secret, I-I won't tell anyone," she whispered the last part.

Naruto gave her a thumbs-up, and dramatically spun around, moving his arms back and forth as he tried to walk off. Hinata could have sworn she saw something wet and small wiggling inside his pants pocket. She called out.

"What?"

"The graduation exams...good luck..." she whispered.

"Crap!" Naruto was outta there in less than 1 second. _I still can't do the clone jutsu! Sakura-chan will hate me and Sasuke-teme already hates me! But I gotta tell them or I'll get left behind! Kuso! This is so hard!_

* * *

玻璃


	29. Graduation Exams

信心

* * *

"Naruto, you idiot!" Sakura slapped him over his head. "It's the easiest jutsu out of all five E-Ranks!"

"B-But Sakura-chan..." Naruto pouted while rubbing his bruise. He looked down in shame.

"Hold on," Sasuke crouched down and placed his hand through the discombobulated clone, curling and uncurling his fingers. "It's thick." He looked at Sakura as if expecting her to understand him instantly.

"What?" Sakura tilted her head.

Sasuke sighed at having to explain. "It's just a suspicion, but turn on your glasses."

Sakura's hand flew to a button at the rim of her glasses and clicked. Instantly, she saw an extremely dense flame in Naruto's clone.

As if the widening of her eyes was his cue, Sasuke weaved a few hand seals and formed a clone of his own. Sakura noticed his clone had a looser, more spread-out flame.

"Naruto's clone is like a bunch of your clones squashed together!" Sakura exclaimed to Sasuke, and Naruto just tilted his head in confusion. Sakura shook his shoulders. "Focus again on your chakra, Naruto," she shot the other boy a look, "You too, Sasuke."

"Uh, okay," Naruto moved his hands into the ram seal and concentrated on grasping his chakra. Sakura gasped at the massive amount of blue flame at Naruto's stomach in comparison to Sasuke's. He easily had ten times more.

"...Wow." Sakura shook her head. "You need pinpoint control like I have in order to control that much chakra."

Sasuke gave a nod, "I suspected as much." He looked Naruto in the eye. "You're strong, dobe."

Sakura stifled a chuckle at his oxymoron, but Sasuke continued. "Too strong to pull off a weak technique like the Clone Jutsu." He looked aside.

Sakura frowned, "I..." She did some advanced mathematical relative-chakra calculations in her head and lowered her eyes. "It's like trying to hold a lake inside a drinking cup. I'm sorry Naruto." She clenched her fists.

Naruto looked devastated.

This time, Sasuke copied Sakura's motion and smacked Naruto in the head. "Dobe, what happened to never 'going back on your word'? I want to see what the number-one hyperactive knuckle-head ninja can do."

Naruto looked up at Sasuke, tears brimming his eyes. "Sas...SasuKE!" He glomped him and cried all over the unfortunate Uchiha's clothes. "I won't let you down!"

Sakura huffed. _Boys..._

**But you gotta admit, Sasuke does have more faith in Naruto than you do. **

_Grrh, fine!_

She slapped Naruto's back and pulled him off Sasuke by his hair. "Alright, Naruto. You're always surprising us so do it again at graduation. Or else," she raised her fist and Naruto gulped.

* * *

信心

* * *

...

Mizuki-sensei was pissed off. He'd expected Sakura to keep her grades low, but steadily they've been increasing until they rivaled the Top Student Sasuke.

_Dammit, dammit, dammit._ Mizuki glared at said girl laughing with the Fox to her left. Right at her other side was Sasuke.

Mizuki-sensei suddenly felt a glimmer of hope. _Is Sakura cheating off Sasuke? Heh, that must be it. Her grades only started improving at the same time she befriended Sasuke Uchiha. Hah, the joke's on you, Sakura-chan, because you can't cheat at the Graduation Test._

* * *

信心

* * *

"Next, Sakura Haruno," Iruka-sensei called out.

Sakura leapt from her seat, "Wish me luck!"

Sasuke clutched his ninja headband.

"Bastard, why aren't you wearing it?" Naruto asked, wanting to see how it would look on Sasuke.

"Because, Loser, she wants us to put them on at the same time. Such an annoyance."

"What did you just call me?" Sakura had returned, casually spinning around new headband by its blue cloth. **Why aren't you two acting all excited that I passed?! Cha!**

"I called you an annoyance," Sasuke repeated audaciously, "But congratulations. Now it's your turn, Loser. Contrary to your belief, I actually want to wear this as soon as possible."

"Next, Naruto Uzuma..." Iruka trailed off as he watched Mizuki-sensei bristle in intense rage. _Whoaa.._ "Hey...you okay there, Mizuki?"

Mizuki snapped out of it and put on a serene expression. "I just can't believe that pinkhead passed," Mizuki said calmly. "It's just a surprise, really. Her grades rivaled the dead last's and in such a short amount of time, they match the top student's. I almost suspect she cheated."

Iruka pinched the bridge of his nose. "Mizuki, I understand how you feel. I was surprised too, but it seems the problem lied in her not getting enough sleep and depression. She's worked very hard to catch up. You know you should really give our students a little more credit," Iruka scratched his nose in thought.

Mizuki chuckled, "Yeah."

"Oi! I'm next, right?!" Naruto was pulling Iruka's clothes again. Suddenly he realized he was supposed to be nervous and regretted rushing Iruka, but it was too late as Iruka dragged Naruto to the testing room.

When he returned without a headband, and gloomy eyes, Sakura slammed the desk and groaned. Sasuke grunted in annoyance.

Watching Naruto make his way back to his two friends, head hung low, Mizuki gained a calculative glint in his eye.

* * *

信心


	30. Kyuubi

粉红

* * *

Naruto sat on the swing underneath an out-of-view tree, far away from the crowd of newly graduated students.

He pressed his forehead to the metal chain and just sat there, trying not to cry.

_Sakura and Sasuke believed in me and I failed._ His eyes trailed to the crowd, spotting Sakura hug her parents excitedly. Her headband was still in her hand, though. _Why won't she put it on? Please...Sakura-chan, don't do this for me. _

Naruto's cerulean gaze swept across the other graduates, trying to find Sasuke. He wasn't there.

"Dobe,"

Naruto jumped, his swing spinning around as he spotted Sasuke standing right behind him, hidden underneath the shade of the tree. "WHAWHAWHAAWHA" Naruto's hands flailed before he crashed to the ground. "Owww!"

Sasuke pulled him up roughly, and Naruto noticed he also wasn't wearing his headband. "Teme, you're a ninja now," he reluctantly told him. _You too, Sasuke?_

"Whatever," Sasuke said, stuffing his hands into his pockets and walking away, leaving Naruto behind.

Sakura noticed him approaching her and waved him over. She kissed her mom and dad before sprinting over to Sasuke and grabbing his hand. "Come on, let's go!"

Sasuke pulled back, repulsed, "Aren't you going to say something to the dobe?"

Sakura only tightened her grip. "I'm sure you told him everything you wanted him to know," Sakura answered, not realizing those words were making Sasuke doubt himself.

"We can't waste anymore time!"

_For what, our date?!_ Sasuke wanted to snap, but her eyes were wide and desperate with determination, and he clicked his tongue, letting her pull him somewhere else in a full-sprint.

* * *

粉红

* * *

"Hokage-sama! Bad news!" A chuunin yelled.

"Don't tell me it's Naruto again," Sarutobi pushed aside his papers. "Let me guess, he didn't graduate so he pulled some more trouble?"

"No! He stole the Sacred Scroll of Sealing!"

"WHAT?!" Sarutobi ran out of his office and commanded the gathering crowd of ninja to find Naruto at once.

* * *

粉红

* * *

Sarutobi ran back into his office to pull out his crystal ball just in time to watch Iruka discover Naruto.

The door slammed open revealing a scuffled Sakura and an impatient Sasuke.

"Hokage-sama!" Sakura screeched, her high pitch making Sarutobi drop the crystal ball and cringe. She stomped over to the Hokage, and grabbed the collar of his robes. "You_ will make_ Naruto graduate with us!"

Sarutobi was too shocked to react, but his ninja instincts kicked in and he knocked Sakura off his body. She crashed into Sasuke, but he held his ground and caught her firmly, before turning his dark eyes towards the Hokage.

"Naruto is stronger than half the graduates," Sasuke assured him, "Much stronger."

"Y-Yeah!" Sakura caught on. "You shouldn't fail him just because he's too strong to do a weak techni-..." she trailed off upon hearing some important keywords coming from the Crystal Ball.

Instantly, she and Sasuke were crowding around the ball, watching Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei argue with each other for the Scroll.

Sarutobi regretted letting kids get the better of him, he was the Hokage for kami's sake! But he was more interested in what was happening with Naruto than kicking them out, so he pushed them a little away from the ball to give himself enough space to watch.

"_NARUTO, YOU ARE THE NINE TAILED FOX!_"

Sakura gaped and Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

The Hokage facepalmed. He never expected Mizuki-sensei to expose the SS-Rank secret to the container himself. Now how to deal with these meddling kids?

No, there was a more important manner at hand. It was a make-or-break moment for Naruto, and if he decides to release the fox and take revenge on the Leaf...

Naruto made a thousand shadow clones and three sets of eyes almost popped out in amazement.

_What the heck! _Sakura's eyes met with Sasuke and he nodded a millimeter. Only her glasses caught the motion.

Sarutobi's head shot up to gauge their reactions, only to see Sakura and Sasuke not reacting as hard and outrageously as they should

His stomach churned. These two were Naruto's first and only friends, so he'd have to get a Yamanaka to erase their memories.

No, that was like his Councillor Danzo, and Sarutobi was nothing like Danzo. He'd give them a chance.

"Kids, Naruto is not the Nine-Tailed Fox."

"Mhm. We already know," Sakura adjusted her glasses. "It's his stomach."

Sarutobi was taken aback. _His stomach?_

Sasuke snorted. "Tch, don't give us that look. It's as if you expect us to react as though the Kyuubi is his brain instead."

Sarutobi crossed his hands under his chin. _Hmm, good analogy._

"Yeah, Sasuke is right!" Sakura placed her hands on her hips and gave him a stern look. "All that energy is focused on his stomach area, not his head!"

_You were describing it literally,_ Sarutobi realized.

"Not to mention he's the stupidest person I've had the misfortune of encountering," Sasuke added slickly.

The Hokage raised an eyebrow, not sure what to make of that statement, but it was true nonetheless.

"_Naruto, I have something for you. Close your eyes,_" it was Iruka's voice.

Sarutobi wasn't surprised as he watched Iruka-sensei tie his shinobi headband to Naruto's head.

But he was surprised by the two in front of him.

Sasuke took out his headband from underneath his arm-warmer, and Sakura pulled hers from under her bra.

They tied them on their heads at the same time with Naruto, both of them smirking in an adorably smug way.

Sarutobi's eyes filled with tears. _Never in my sixty years have I seen a friendship so deep...What's more, it involves Naruto, and he's not even present...I've never been so touched. _With that, the old man slapped his face to the desk and began weeping, overwhelmed by the feels. _  
_

"Are you alright, Hokage-sama?" Sakura folded her hands behind her back and leaned towards the old man. Old, huh? Her eyes softened, she was fond of the elderly. "Can I get you a drink of water?"

"No, it's fine, little girl," Sarutobi studied her, put off by her demeanor change from harsh to considerate. "Sakura Haruno, eh?"

"Yes, sir!"

"And Sasuke Uchiha," he watched Sasuke nod before making his decision. This is a special case, and with this batch, they'll bug me until I... "Starting tomorrow, all three of you will be together as Team Seven." He felt no need to say the third person's name, they already knew.

"WOOHOO! We did it!" Sakura jumped over and hugged Sasuke hard. He didn't try to push her off, in fact, he even smirked.

_Our plan was to convince the Hokage to let Naruto graduate, and in the best case scenario, also convince him to keep us together. And it worked unexpectedly! _

Not knowing they'd be put together regardless of their actions.

"We'll tell Naruto tonight," Sasuke informed her. "Else the idiot's going to think that we don't know his secret and fret over us finding out and in turn hating him," he only bothered to say as much aloud because they were in front of the Hokage.

"Mhm," Sakura nodded, "if that's okay with you, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi's eyes crinkled. "Of course it is."

She grinned and grabbed Sasuke's hand, running off as he tenderly put away his crystal ball.

_I have no doubt this batch of kids will pass your bell test. You're in for a surprise, Kakashi. _

* * *

粉红


	31. Party

迷惑

* * *

Ramen with Iruka-sensei had cheered Naruto up, but it was, of course, short-lived. After Iruka-sensei paid for their meals and waved Naruto goodbye, Naruto grinned cheerfully the whole time all up 'til after his older-brother-figure departed. Then, as turned and Naruto walked his way home, his smile vanished.

It was a very late, midnight almost, and the moon was nowhere to be seen. The crowds dispersed as the lone orange boy entered the ghetto, poorer areas of town.

His head was mostly down, thinking over the events that felt as though they happened seconds ago, his body was still tense for action.

_I guess that explains everything. Why I'm hated. It's because the monster that killed their parents and comrades is inside me. _

Naruto's hand trailed to his gut. _They think I'm the Nine Tails. Sakura and Sasuke don't know. I wonder...if they knew...would they ignore me like everyone else?_

Naruto didn't want to risk it. He was afraid to tell them. It went against his nindo but Naruto was only human. He would hesitate. He would keep it to himself. _I'll tell them when the time is right, _he promised himself-_ARGH! Forget losing them as friends_ _'cos of the Kyuubi, I already lost them as friends 'cos I didn't graduate with them! Um, fine, I did, but they don't know that! _

Naruto thought back about earlier today, when he was the only one who failed. Sakura hadn't said anything to him, she just went straight to her parents. Sasuke didn't have any parents, so he snuck up behind Naruto, but he also didn't say much. He said "Whatever" and left him behind...all alone, to repeat the year.

Basically, they just ignored him and went about their own separate ways...No, they left together, without him...ignored him like everyone else did.

Naruto clenched his fists and trembled, feeling betrayed.

He watched an a woman usher a child inside her house, and a man carrying a toddler on his shoulders, jogging off into the distance.

Suddenly, Naruto didn't want to go home. _It's not like there's anyone waiting at home for me._ He wanted to see Sakura and Sasuke, but at the same time he was afraid to. Sakura was out of the question, she had parents guarding her at home, and Sasuke...Naruto's stomach churned at the thought of visiting that bastard for no reason at the middle of the night. _It's not like we're particularly **close** or anything._ _And that bastard acted like he didn't care that I failed!_

Hell no!

Naruto sprinted the rest of his way home.

Then, he hesitated at the door, prepared himself to greet the darkness, and opened it,

Only to be met by an explosive flash of _painfully bright light_.

* * *

迷惑

* * *

"Oops," Sakura rubbed her head sheepishly as Naruto rolled around on the floor screaming and grasping his eyes in pain. "We meant to use the flash bomb as um, y'know, colorful party lights!"

Sasuke watched Naruto through orange-tinted goggles and was relieved he had borrowed Sakura's goggles, otherwise his special Uchiha eyes (they weren't Sharingan _yet_) might experience the same 'pain' Naruto was feeling. Nonetheless, it was a funny sight. "Surprised, dobe?" He smirked.

"No fair!" Naruto jumped up, having recovered, and pointed both his fingers at Sakura and Sasuke. "You two got stuff to cover your eyes with-..wait, what are you doing here?"_ I thought I'd never see you two again_. He looked around hazily to make sure he was in the right place, and spotted a birthday-sized cake at his cleared dining table... ... ..."Huh?"

"Celebrating our graduation, you idiot. Did you think it was your birthday?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if he did."

It was then he noticed, after overcoming the weird sight of Sasuke wearing Sakura's goggles, that they both had their forehead protectors on.

_They weren't wearing it because I didn't graduate with them, and now they are, and now they're at my apartment with a cake, and Sakura-chan said "our," does that mean she's including me? So they know what happened? How? And how much do they know? _It took Naruto ten seconds to think that out before Sakura dragged him over to the couch before the low table.

Sasuke was already sprawled on it.

Naruto asked, "How?"

"How? Let's see...4 egg whites 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter or shortening, softened 1 3/4 cups sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 1/3 cups buttermilk or sour milk," Sakura listed out. "And tomatoes, though I wanted strawberries."

"Tomatoes have more nutrition," Sasuke rebuked, "you're an annoyance," _for dragging me to the supermarket. We should have just informed the loser and gone straight home. _

"Argh guys!" Naruto rubbed his head in confusion. "I meant, how did you guys know I passed?"

Sasuke looked at him. "We went to make a complaint to the Hokage, but discovered him spying on you through a surveillance jutsu, like the seals I made for the Hyuuga Challenge."

"We saw everything," Sakura added, "including what Mizuki-sensei said," **Cha! I knew that man was a creep!**

"S-So then you guys know?" Naruto looked worried.

"It was obvious from the start," Sasuke exaggerated. He had not known before Naruto found out. "It makes no difference to us, except that you have the most chakra out of all of us," his eye twitched. "Power that you don't deserve, and have no use for."

_I don't deserve the monster Kyuubi?_ It was almost laughable, Naruto felt, how everyone thought it was a curse while Sasuke saw it as something Naruto had over him.

"We don't abandon our friends," Sakura insisted, "From now on, that's our nindo."

Naruto could almost cry. Sasuke only smiled.

* * *

迷惑

* * *

"I'll get a knife," Naruto said,

"No, wait," Sakura formed a glowing chakra scalpel on her hand and sliced it into the cake. The cake exploded into a scattered mess, that luckily remained on the plate because Sakura retracted her jutsu instantly. Unfortunately, bits of it flew onto their clothes and faces. She blushed, embarrassed, "Aah, sorry, I was trying to save us some time."

"Tch. Leave it to Meiwaku(Annoyance)," Sasuke had started nickname her with the dobe. He tossed them some spoons. "We don't have the time to waste. Just eat it off the plate, clean up, and leave."

Naruto drooled, "uh, okay!" He took the spoon and scooped up crumbled reddened cake and ate fast. It tasted more like squashed cooked tomatoes than actual cake.

* * *

迷惑

* * *

迷 惑 = Mei waku= Annoyance.

This term will come up...often. To match in Japanese: meiwaku/dobe/teme.

In English: Annoyance/Loser/Bastard.


	32. Team 7

骗

* * *

The next day, Sakura woke up and pulled on her red dress.

Her hand went to her bedside table and grabbed her glasses, sliding them on. Her vision cleared, and she reached for her goggles next.

They weren't there, and the only thing she fingered was her new headband.

"W-What?" She hopped off the bed and checked the floors, her covers, even her closet.

_It's my only remembrance of Hana and Obito..._ **Cha! How could you lose them?! **_I don't know, I never took them off except..._

**SASUKE STILL HAS THEM! **

Sakura froze with realization, then, she relaxed. "In that case, I have nothing to worry about. Sasuke will return them and today we're going to meet our new sensei!"

**Hell yeah! **

"Sakura, are you coming down for breakfast?" It was her mom's voice.

"No mom, I'm a ninja now and have no need to play house!" Sakura practically growled out, deprived of her goggles. She tied her headband over her hair and walked downstairs, ignoring her mother and approaching the door.

"Okay, sweetie, remember to take the boxed lunch at the table."

Her eye twitched as she grabbed the food container, muttering out an annoyed "I know, mom," and stalking out the door.

* * *

骗

* * *

...

Sakura watched a homeless old man huddle in an alley picking through the trash bin for something to eat. He was too old and skinny for manual labor. His clothes were rags and he was balding with white tufts of dirty hair.

Sakura walked over and gave him her boxed lunch.

"O-Oh, i-is that really okay?" the stinky man hesitated and drooled.

Her old naive self would have punched the man for being a pervert if he didn't look too disgusting, but now Sakura had a lot of experience when it comes to anatomy of old people and she knew he was too old for his family jewels to work properly so he wasn't a pervert, just a hungry grandpa. "Yeah, I'm on a diet," she lied.

He tenderly held out her hands and she dropped the boxed rice, vegetables, fish and tomatoes (as a semi-medic-nin, she realized Sasuke was right about tomatoes.)

"T-Thank...GRAHAH" he suddenly erupted into a coughing fit and Sakura gasped, leaping behind him and slamming her palms a little too roughly against his back, pushing yin chakra to his lungs and attempting to stabilize his breathing.

Five minutes later, he stared at Sakura in awe. "Y-You're a shinobi, a medic nin."

"No, I'm not." **Hell yeah I am! **

Strangely, he looked relieved, as if being a shinobi would have been an obstacle. "T-Then...I-If it isn't too much to ask, my homies are s-sick." He shivered. "They don't go to the hospital b-because they don't have the money. None of us do, we're homeless and too o-old for anyone to hire."

He looked at her desperately. "Please, my chest feels better, b-but some of us need your treatment more than I do." he dipped his head.

_But I'm supposed to be somewhere else._ **Shannaro! It's an important day today!**

"I u-understand i-if you want money."

_No! I don't!_ **You bet you do! **

"Everyone I asked refused be-cause we're broke..."

_Well, maybe if I make it quick I can still make it in time for the Team Assignments. _**Ugh! Fine!** She faked a smile and waved her hands dismissively, "No worries, I'll do what I can. Lead the way to your sick friends."

And thus, Sakura was late because she was busy healing the injuries of homeless elderly in the slums.

* * *

骗

* * *

Sasuke sat by the window, with Naruto hunched beside him. They were doing their best not to look at each other. Usually they were not this uncomfortable because Sakura tended to be seated between them as the mediator, but she wasn't here right now. So, that left an empty gap between the boys that tempted any other ambitious fangirl to put up with Naruto in order to sit next to Sasuke-kun.

"She's late again," Naruto muttered as he put his head down, depressed.

"Like I care."

Suddenly, the door burst open and both of them, because Sasuke did care, looked to see if it was Sakura, but it was Ino by herself.

She walked over to them and made a grab for the front of Naruto's shirt to throw him off his seat (so she could take it,) but Sasuke was faster; he grabbed the back of Naruto's shirt first and pulled him back from Ino's clutches, so the only thing she grabbed was thin air as she stood aghast.

She quickly made up for her fluke by moving her hand to flip at her hair, as if she'd planned to do that instead of reaching for Naruto. It was the most graceful movement they've seen, making the other girls jealous.

Keeping her hand to her hair, she watched Naruto leaning his entire weight uncomfortable against Sasuke's side as he struggled to sit up.

"OI YOU BASTARD! Why'd you grab me like that!?" Naruto yelled, attempting to throw some punches behind him towards Sasuke's face, but they were all blocked, of course.

Ino sweatdropped and noticed that they were literally shoved to the side of the long seat, which meant there was room at the edge for her to sit. She sat there, unsatisfied that there was Naruto right between her and Sasuke-kun, but it was something at least.

"Yo, Ino," Shikamaru greeted from the higher table behind her. "Sit beside me instead." _There's no doubt we'll be the next InoShikaCho team, so it'd be troublesome if I have to walk towards you as we gather together. Might as well start out all of us sitting together to save us the energy of gathering. "_Choji, you come too."

Choji couldn't hear Shikamaru through the crunching of the potato chips in his mouth.

"Oh I'm sorry did you confuse Naruto with me because we're both blonde and blue-eyed?" Ino said in a sarcastic tone, "I wouldn't be surprised, like honestly, you have no sense of beauty," she grandiosely gestured to Shikamaru's dull-colored clothing. "Naruto, go sit beside Shikamaru like he wants," she would have shouted the last part but that would have ruined her eloquence.

Sasuke nudged Naruto off his body with an elbow and he yelped "Ow!" Then Naruto took a look at Shikamaru, who was currently facepalming in response, but being too lazy to use his hand, he used the desk as a surface to his face. "Uhh, he's kinda boring," Naruto commented. To his side, Sasuke snorted; compared to himself, everyone was 'boring' to Naruto. "Besides, Sakura-chan's gonna get mad."

"Oh _Sakura_ huh?" She placed her hands on her hips, the same action Sakura does when she's about to give a lecture. As children, they had been friends before they became rivals, so Sakura unconsciously took onto some of Ino's habits.

Naruto cringed while Sasuke automatically became more alert.

Satisfied they were paying attention to her, Ino lectured, holding up her fingers to convey, "Billbrow Brow was 1 hour late 3 days ago, 2 hours late 2 days ago, and 3 hour late yesterday," she held up a fourth finger. "How many hours will she be late today?"

"Four!" Naruto stupidly shouted and Sasuke clicked his tongue.

Sakura wasn't here to argue with Ino, so they didn't attract the attention of the other crowd of fangirls, so Naruto didn't kiss Sasuke. Bummer.

"...Team Seven, Uzumaki Naruto,"

Naruto perked up.

"Haruno Sakura,"

Naruto cheered and Sasuke indiscreetly held his breath.

"And Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke smirked, but it quickly turned into a frown as Naruto tackled him in excitement.

Ignoring the two's antics, Ino slammed her hands to the desk. "WHAT?! How come Billboard Brow gets put on Sasuke-kun's team when she doesn't even bother to show up?!"

Iruka didn't know what to say, but seeing how the whole class went silent, he took this opportunity to teach a life lesson. "From this day on, you are all going to become shinobi, and ninja must always look under the surface." His hand gestured towards Naruto, "Our dead last of the class, for exam, mastered an impressive Jounin-level technique just yesterday."

Everyone except Sasuke looked at Naruto with disbelief and hints of admiration. He blushed under all the attention.

"But that is not all there is to being a shinobi of the Leaf, one must also display the qualities of the Will of Fire," he smiled. "Naruto risked his life to protect me from an enemy shinobi," Iruka opted out from saying Mizuki's name.

Naruto blushed harder as he jumped onto his desk, "Iruka-sensei! _You_ protected me!" He burst into tears as he flailed about, "you're the best sensei ever! I'll never forget you!"

_Dramatic loser_, Sasuke thought.

"Ahem," Iruka continued. "That is why you must never underestimate someone may appear weak, whether it's a comrade, or enemy. You must be extra careful when it comes to enemy shinobi, or it could lead to your death," his expression turned serious and everyone paid rapid attention.

"But Sensei," Ino interrupted, as a Yamanaka, she wasn't intimidated. He knew what she was asking.

"Sakura may be late often, but her test grades ranked her as the top kunoichi of the class. It's custom for the top students to pair with the dead lasts,"

Naruto wasn't insulted by his label after what Iruka said earlier. In fact, he was proud, grinning goofily and patting Sasuke's back in an attempt to comfort him from who-knows-what. Sasuke ignored him.

"I see," she said, shooting a knowing glance at Shikamaru. She had an perfect example right here about deceitful appearances; the sloth was too lazy to put his be genius brain to use. _My Mind Transfer Technique would've ranked me as top student if Shikamaru actually worked hard on the tests! _

"Team 8, Hyuuga Hinata,"

Hinata perked up. It suddenly dawned on her she wouldn't be with Naruto-kun, and she was bummed.

"Inuzuka Kiba,"

"YEAH!"

"And Aburame Shino."

"..."

Ino turned to look at Shikamaru. "You know you oughta put yourself to work! Otherwise you're totally useless and unappealing for a guy,"

Shikamaru smirked, "Well it seems that's the type of guy you'll end up with."

Before Ino could retort, Iruka called, "Team 10, Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru,"

Ino groaned. _Dammit Shikamaru!_ "And Choji Akimichi." Ino flat out slammed her forehead to the desk.

Shikamaru heartlessly made the fat guy walk: "Choji, come over here!"

Choji did.

"Now your jounin instructors will come pick you up," Iruka waved them in and the adults picked up their teams and left, until there was only one remaining team, which happened to be missing one member.

Iruka checked the time and realized the irony of the situation. _I wonder who will show up first? Sakura or Kakashi? _He chuckled, "Well, it looks like you'll have to wait, Naruto, Sasuke," and bolted out the door.

Sasuke and Naruto sat alone in the empty classroom.

...

...

Naruto got bored.

...

"Let's talk!"

"No."

...

...

Naruto saw a chalkboard eraser.

* * *

骗

* * *

Author Note: Sorry for the delay! Just got through a set of exams. I'm going to start up my daily updates again! (Because daily reviews LOL.)


	33. Late Again, Sakura!

迟到

* * *

Sakura was running with all she had.

_Damn I'm so late! I missed Team Assignments! What if they already left without me? _

**Forehead, you're completely late. You just passed by Ino's team and sensei. **

Sakura ran faster.

_There's no doubt my team left without me! Where am I supposed to go now? Straight to the Hokage and apologize and ask where my team went? _

**You wanna get in trouble when there's a chance you won't get in trouble? HELL NO! Let's check the classroom and hope our new Sensei is extremely extremely late and Naruto and Sasuke didn't ditch us! **

_What a long shot._

Sakura prayed as she zoomed into the Academy halls towards the classroom she was supposed to be 4 hours ago.

_The lights are still on!_ She slammed the tatami door open and took a quick step in, only to have something hard bang atop her head. Luckily, her forehead protector covered the top of her head, so the object that fell from above the door gap only collided against the metal cover before bouncing to the floor.

It was a chalkboard eraser full of white dust, and that stuff went onto her pink hair and face. She gasped and coughed and waved the dust off her face.

**WHAT THE FUCK?! **

It shocked the other two occupants too.

Naruto had fallen onto his butt and stared up at Sakura with surprise, fear, relief, and shame.

Sasuke looked furious from his seat, whether at Naruto or Sakura, she didn't know.

_Wait, does this mean our Sensei hasn't arrived yet?! Yes! I'm not late! _Sakura did a little cheer which only surprised the boys further. In her excitement, she wanted to pull a mini-prank too.

She reached down and picked up the eraser, intending to throw it at the forehead protector of Naruto's headband instead of simply yelling at his stupidity. Sakura smirked mischievously, holding back her giggles as she said vindictively, "This is what you get," and drew her hand back.

Naruto gasped, his eyes looking above Sakura, and Sasuke tensed.

"_Well, now,_" a deep lazy voice drawled, and her wrist was grabbed by the older male, the eraser dropping to the floor with a clang, and suddenly she was being pushed inside the classroom. "I didn't think you were going to show up," he droned sarcastically._ And_ w_hat's worse than your tardiness is your first action being an attack against your soon-to-be-teammate._ He could tell that he wasn't going to like her.

"Eep!" Sakura leaped back from him and pressed her lower back against the desk in front of the Uchiha as she took in his appearance. Tall. Gravity-defying silver hair. Face masked by a black cloth. An eye covered by his forehead protector. Sakura bit her lip. _If only I'd just arrived one second sooner, this wouldn't be happening! _"I-I'm sorry I didn't mean to," she tried. "I-I was just finishing up but an old woman fell and-"

Sasuke reached over and grabbed her arm. _Relax, Sakura_. She did, and Sasuke stood up, walking around from his seat. "Hn. You're supposed to be our new sensei, aren't you?" He challenged.

Kakashi narrowed his eye, more focused on the pinkette than the raven. She was an unknown factor, one he didn't get the chance to observe from the Hokage's Crystal Ball.

Naruto snapped out of it and leapt to his feet. "Yeah! You were late too! Stop blaming Sakura-chan!"

His eye swept towards Naruto. Not only the Last Uchiha, but the Yondaime's Legacy was sticking up for her as well. Hmm. _Interesting_.

..He cleared his throat. "Alright, kids. Let's meet at the roof." He vanished in a cloud of smoke.

..

..

"What was that?"

* * *

迟到

* * *

Kakashi's eye twitched.

Sakura was wearing his orange goggles, wearing _his_ goofy grin. If he recalled earlier, she had used_ his_ excuse.

_Is this some sort of joke from heaven?_

"Alright, why don't you three introduce yourselves, one at a time. You in the orange, go first."

"YATTA!" Naruto jumped to his feet. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! And I'm gonna become Hokage one day!"

_Hyperactive, and blunt. _Kakashi sighed. "I meant your likes, dislikes, hobbies, and dream. You've got the dream part down."

"Umm, ramen! Eating ramen!" Naruto bounced on his feet. "Waiting for the ramen to cook!"

_How in the world did Minato-sensei's son end up this stupid?_ Kakashi tilted his head. "You next."

"Hn. I'm Sasuke Uchiha. I don't_ like_ anything, so my dislikes are self-explanatory." His hands were folded contemplatively in front of his face, intensifying his gaze as he turned it towards Kakashi. "And my dream, is to kill a certain someone."

_...Just as I expected. I'll work on you first, until the other two mature. _"Last but not least..."

"Heh, I'm Sakura Haruno," her nose tilted up confidently as she stood, her arms crossed over her chest. "_I'm_ going to be Hokage."

Sasuke looked at her, shocked that she'd taken Naruto's stupid dream. Naruto was even more shocked. "B-But, Sakura-chan, t-that's my role!"

Sakura turned towards him and grinned, "Well then, I guess that makes us rivals." Suddenly, something churned painfully her stomach. This was the exact same line she said to Ino all those years ago when they became rivals for Sasuke-kun's affections, they lost their friendship. Now, Sakura wasn't so sure anymore. Hesitatingly, she rubbed the back of her head. "Heheh, um, I mean..."

Naruto saw it in her eyes and forced a smile. "Nooo, Saku-chan, I need the competition or I won't be the best I can be! You can try but I'll win anyway! HA, do your best!" He nodded arrogantly. "Yup, don't ya try to say ya didn't do your best when you lose to me!"

A vein formed in her head. "NARUTO you idiot!" She grabbed his shirt. "Oh we'll see about that!"

_ Not again_, Sasuke thought. In a flash, he was between them, holding them at arms-length apart. "Idiots, both of you. Forgot we're right in front of our Sensei?" He looked towards Kakashi, who was watching them silently in amusement. "When are you going to start training us?"

_Us?_ ...He couldn't decide if they were friends or enemies..._but not for long._ Kakashi chuckled darkly, "Tomorrow."

He kept laughing evilly under his breath, and Sakura was alarmed.

"Hey, what's so funny?" She pulled her legs close. "What's in the training exercise?"

He looked at her, trying to discern whether those goggles were the same brand his old teammate used to wear. "Well, if I tell you the answer, you're not going to like it."

She curled defensively.

"It's a survival exercise, and you'll have a 33% chance of passing."

To Kakashi's surprise, Sakura looked relieved at that.

But not Naruto. "WHAT?! Pass what? We already passed! We worked hard to get here!"

"He's right!" Sakura perked up.

Kakashi just smiled. "That graduation test you took back at the Academy was only to select the candidates who _might_ become genin, or not. _I_ conduct the real test, and_ I_ decide whether you pass or fail."

"_What_?" Sasuke shook.

"That's how it is; bring your ninja gear, and meet at the designated training spot tomorrow at 5AM. Oh and, don't eat breakfast," his eye curled, "or you'll puke."

Then, he vanished, leaving behind three befuddled kids.

...

Sakura was the first to break the silence.

"He's a total jerk."

* * *

迟到


	34. Strategy

记忆

* * *

"If we have any chance of surviving this _survival_ test, it's by working together," Sakura lectured. "If separated, we'll be easy picklings!"

"He seemed strong," Sasuke agreed. The eraser hadn't landed on Kakashi's head, so none of them were underestimating him. They were more cautious than ever. "Tch, let's just go over what we can do."

"So we showoff?" Naruto deduced, and before they could stop him, he crossed his fingers. "SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"

Ten clones got in the way and Sakura punched one of them, dispelling it. "NARUTO! You dumbass!"

"Wait," Sasuke grabbed her hand before she could punch out another one, "We could use these."

She subsided. "You're right, they're better than training dummies. Naruto, you're a genius!"

"Huh? Hahahah," Naruto laughed awkwardly. "Thanks, Sakura-chan!" _Even though that wasn't my intention_.

"What else can you do?" Sasuke asked.

"Um..."

"He can do fuuinjutsu, and everything we learned together," she added for him. "I can do genjutsu, medical ninjutsu, and, well, I'm not really good at fighting." She slumped.

Sasuke waved her off. "That's good enough, we've already-" He trailed off and looked at her. "Hey, you're good at fighting. You've held your own in our 3-way spars."

"Oh that counts?" Sakura grinned sheepishly. "I thought we were all holding back and merely using each other as anger-release."

Naruto gulped. He really was putting his all in those skirmishes.

"Hn. None of us utilized any strategy. We were serious but we weren't taking the fights seriously. We only tried to get as many hits in."

"That won't work on Sensei," Sakura declared. "We need a plan."

Naruto nodded along. "So what can you do, Sasuke-teme?"

"The Uchiha Katon Gokakyu no Jutsu," he answered proudly, "It's about twenty meters wide."

Sakura knew that jutsu from the elders. She never attempted it but she knew how difficult it was. She was impressed.

"That's it?"

Sasuke's eye twitched. "Ninja wire, ninja weaponry, everything we've learned at the Academy, and fuuinjutsu."

"I can do that too!" Naruto exclaimed, and Sakura whopped his head.

"No, you can't, now here's the plan..." They huddled together in a triangle. "On the assumption that he's going to fight us until we die...You're going to use your shadow clones as the decoy, Sasuke will send a fireball behind our Sensei, and I will cloak genjutsu over it to make the fireball invisible."

"S-Sakura ya trying to get our sensei killed?" Naruto whispered loudly.

"That's just a possibility, and besides, you got any better ideas?"

"Hn. Officially, we've just graduated," he snorted. "Do you really think our Jounin-sensei is going to spar us to our brink-of-death? When we haven't been trained above Academy level?"

"Y-Yeah!" Naruto exclaimed. "He's jus' gonna give us a survival obstacle course to see if we really cheated at graduation!"

"I guess you're right," Sakura deferred. "But since you've already summoned them, let's practice our specialties on your shadow clones. We'll spar them and count it as our training for the day. We still have the rest of the day left since our sensei ditched us."

"YATTA!"

"Hn," his lip curled slightly into a smirk.

* * *

记忆

* * *

"I'm testing another team this year, Obito," his head tilted down to gaze at the teal Memorial Stone. "Our sensei's son, and your little cousin."

His head tilted up, as he reached into his weapon pouch. "To be honest, I don't feel like passing them." He cracked his neck. "It's another burden to carry. But I know you wouldn't want that." He smirked underneath his mask. "You'll forgive me if the reason they fail is their lack of teamwork, right?"

He slowly pulled out an orange book, reminiscing on his words."Those who abandon their friends are worse than scum," His thoughts drifted to the only female of the team. It felt like something she would say. "She reminds me of you...and Rin." _Yes, even her._ "It seems_ all three_ were designed to mindfuck me," he said solemnly. It was too much.

"I feel you watching me," he whispered to no one in particular. Sometimes, on rare days, and only when he was at this particular Memorial, he felt his dead teammate's presence. It was nothing new, and he smiled when he could no longer feel it. "What was I thinking?"

Shaking his head, he pivoted, slowly walking off with his orange book in his face.

He was looking forward to tomorrow's bell test, to get it over with.

* * *

记忆


	35. Sakura vs Kakashi on Lateness

5:00A.M.

Training Field 7

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke approached each other from opposite directions.

The sun hadn't risen, so Naruto was still half-asleep. He plopped down on the floor and leaned against Sasuke's feet.

"Oi, get off me," Sasuke said in a sober voice.

Naruto yawned and fell right asleep.

Sasuke sighed and made to step away, but despite being asleep, Naruto's hands went around the last Uchiha's feet in a vice-like grip to preserve his pillow's presence.

Seeing that the knucklehead's stubbornness was unhampered by unconsciousness, Sasuke decided not to dignify it with effort only to fail. He sighed in annoyance, "Dobe."

* * *

7:00A.M.

* * *

Naruto woke up with a jolt. "WHA!? Wha? Where am I?!" He jumped onto his feet, accidentally knocking Sasuke facefirst to the ground, and pointing him accusingly. "OI TEME WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

He pushed himself into a sitting position and rubbed at his face, before tending to his knees. "You loser. If you hadn't leaned on me and stopped my circulatory blood flow, my legs wouldn't have gone numb and I wouldn't have fallen."

"Wha?" Naruto rubbed his head in confusion. "You fell 'cos I pushed you and that's that!"

Sasuke sighed. "Whatever."

"Where's Sakura-chan?"

"Tch."

* * *

8:00A.M.

* * *

"Sorry you two! An old lady dropped her groceries so I…He's not here yet?" Sakura glanced around with lots of motion before settling her eyes back on the amusing sight of Sasuke and Naruto leaning against each other back-to-back as they sat on the grassy ground trying to get some sleep in.

Naruto rubbed his eyes as Sasuke simply opened his to stare at her.

Naruto yawned, "Is he here yet?"

Sakura's eye twitched. "Guess not." **You idiot that's what I just asked you!** Inner was more splenetic than usual, due to the early day.

"Hn. I'm having doubts on our Sensei's competency, if he manages to arrive later than even you."

"Say, what is our Sensei's name?" Sakura asked sheepishly, only to receive blank looks in return.

She felt something bop her head and clutched it, "Ow!"

It was Kakashi, who'd just arrived. He was giving her a stern look.

"I'm sorry Sensei, I'd never forget something as important as your name—" Sakura held her hands together in worry.

"It's Kaka—"

"Oi! You hit Sakura-chan!" Naruto was on his feet, pointing accusingly at Kakashi.

"You never told us your name," Sasuke chimed in. "You didn't even introduce yourself."

Kakashi glared at the three of them with intense killing intent.

They cowered off.

"Well," he cleared his throat. "I didn't see a reason to, when you'll all fail. Let's get started."

O_O O_O O_O;

Kakashi walked over to a wooden post and set an alarm clock. "Here we go, it's set for noon."

o_o o_o o_o

"Your assignment is very simple," he held up two bells. "You just have to take these bells from me. That's all there is to it." He dangled them tantalizingly. "If you can't get them by noon, you'll go without lunch. You'll be tied to those posts and you'll watch while I'll eat my lunch right in front of you."

_So that's why…_ Sasuke had a second suspicion, and he looked at Sakura, who appeared to realize something too.

_He told us not to eat breakfast to make it harder on us…._"Wait a minute, there's three of us! How come there's only two bells?"

"Heh, well, that way," his eye curled with mirth, "at least one of you will end up tied to a post and ultimately disqualified for failing to complete the mission. That one goes back to the Academy," he swung the bells as Sakura and Naruto glared. "Then again, all three of you could flunk out too." Their glares turned astonished.

Sakura finally looked back to Sasuke, who'd been watching her this whole time. He nodded a millimeter, a movement caught only by Kakashi's perception and Sakura's glasses.

Naruto, who had no idea what was going on, jumped right in front of them and pointed at Kakashi, shaking his head vehemently and crossing his arms for emphasis. "Nu-uh! You can't do that, Sensei!"

"Really?" Kakashi tilted his head. "I'm a Jounin, authorized to decide whether you pass or fail."

"No," Sakura stepped in front of Naruto. "_We_ decide."

And then, out of all people, against all odds and the logic of the universe, the avenger spoke: "All three of us, forfeit."

* * *

丧失


	36. Common Sense

合作

* * *

Kakashi had frozen with shock…..._What?_

"Sas…" Sakura was staring at him, an expression akin to relief and gratitude.

"We're forfeiting," he repeated, his glare suddenly landing onto Naruto.

"Y-Yeah but—" Naruto had tears in his eyes, but he wiped them with his sleeve and plastered a smile on his face. "YATTA! WE'RE QUITTING 'COS YOU'D HAVE BEEN A LAME SENSEI ANYWAYS! BELIEVE IT!"

Kakashi's mouth opened like a gaping fish, then he closed it, opened it to say something, and nothing came out.

**That mask is making it look weird! **Sakura couldn't help it, Sasuke's announcement, Naruto's insult, and her sensei's reaction; she erupted into a fit of giggles. "I knew—" she managed out, "You'd say that."

His orange book fell into the grass with a thump. He ignored it, choking out a whispered, "Why?"

"Because we're in this together?" Sakura answered when no one bothered to. In their eyes, they were done with Kakashi. Sakura was too, but the good-girl inside her couldn't help but explain.

Kakashi looked at Sasuke. "What about killing Itachi?"

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY HIS NAME!" Sasuke yelled in rage, moving to attack Kakashi with the intent to kill. Sakura easily looped her forearms around his arms and held him back as Sasuke struggled. She had enough practice with Naruto.

Kakashi looked mildly worried. _Looks like you still want your revenge, disturbingly, I can't fathom why you're willing to quit as a genin…_"Alright then, what of _that certain someone_?" he corrected himself dryly.

He was met with a glare as Sasuke was released from her vice-grip. "For a Jounin, you're a complete idiot."

Kakashi's eye twitched, but he held himself back, wanting to hear what the Uchiha had to say.

"If I passed without them, I'll be slowed down by worse teammates. Better them than anyone else, _Ex-Sensei._"

This time Sakura was holding Naruto back from Sasuke. Apparently Naruto had a better speech in mind.

"You have potential," Kakashi retorted calmly. "How about one-on-one training? No teammates to slow you down."

Sasuke hesitated.

"Hey, we said no!" Sakura yelled as she released Naruto. "You're trying to drive us apart! Leave us alone!"

"YATTA! IT WON'T WORK DUMBASS BALDY!"

Sasuke looked at her, and his resolve tightened. He looked back to Kakashi, and…snorted. _I want to be there when Sakura revives my clan. I want to be the first to see them._ "None of it is worth losing for your shitty private lessons," he eyed the dropped Icha Icha volume pointedly. "And the dead last of the class would never let me live it down," he added with a forlorn sigh and mock regret.

"OI!" Naruto was torn between happiness and outrage.

That prepubescent exclamation attracted his attention, and his eyes landed on his Fourth Hokage's son. "What about your dream of becoming Hokage?"

Naruto was undaunted. "When I become Hokage, I'm gonna become Teme's Hokage, so I'm not gonna abandon him today when I'm not s'posed to abandon him when I'm Hokage!"

And for a moment there, if he saw past the goofy grin and orange attire and whiskered rounded face, the child wasn't Naruto anymore, and Kakashi could feel his heart freeze, and his fingers refused to twitch.

_Minato-sensei? _

_'Don't worry, Kakashi, Obito, Rin, you can count on me. I'll become the Hokage and end this war.' Minato had promised him before flashing off to a battlefield of a thousand Iwa shinobi. _

He blinked, and the illusion was gone.

He struggled to find something to turn them against one another. He needed to get Minato-sensei and Naruto out of his head. Anything involving his old team, his old life.

He strugged for words, and when he grasped them, it all came out desperately, akin to an insane person's ramblings, all towards the only person in the group with no relation to his life. "Sakura, what about you? You're sabotaging a very important mission just because you want to be with your friends. Ninja don't always get to work with their favorite people. You're being selfish; they're not going to die from not passing with you. It's one thing to abandon a teammate to their deaths, but it's another to abandon a mission just because your teammates aren't sharing it with you." He was twisting the purpose of his bell test and they knew it.

He chose the wrong distraction.

Sakura pushed the rim of her glasses, and they glinted against the sunlight. "This isn't a _mission_, Sensei. It's us deciding our futures. Think of it this way; if you had to choose between an extra year at the academy to be on the team with the people you trust, or the chance to start your career early with people you might not trust, which is the better one?"

_Bookworms. You're calculating this from a mathematical perspective. _Kakashi bristled in rage and a hint of fear. His mind has gone entirely blank.

He never knew why she did it. She wasn't sure why either, maybe because her words were reminding her of Obito-kun's lesson, maybe she just missed her old mentor, maybe the wind was blowing too hard into her eyes, maybe her hair was too unkempt and long, maybe, maybe.….Regardless, she reached over her head and pulled her orange goggles over her eyes.

And then it all came back. He saw a flash of orange goggles.

Kakashi couldn't believe it…

He couldn't…

"_Those who break the rules are scum…_"

Was this the first team to figure it out? To _see_ what teamwork is really about?

"_But those who _abandon their friends are worse than scum_." _

He couldn't stop himself. He stared straight at Sakura, and shouted, "You're late again! Do you know how much trouble that caused us?! You wasted our valuable time waiting!"

"Eep!" Sakura flailed instinctly, "I'm sorry! There was an old woman, she dropped her groceries so I helped her pick them up!" Then a look of confusion washed over her face, realizing how that came out of nowhere.

Kakashi's single eye went wide, and his Sharingan activated behind his headband scanning her again and again, for any telltale signs of _anything_ he could find out, answers, maybe, chakra signature identities, perhaps. Anything that would reveal itself to him.

"Uhh, Sensei? You're being a creep," she said as her face reddened, a hand impulsely rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

His eyes convulsed at her movement, and a few seconds as her face turned redder, and redder, until it was deeper than the shade of her hair…

It was so eerily like his dead teammate's more embarrassing moments…

Tentatively, as though she might disappear, and still fascinated, he whispered desperately, "Obito?"

He must have imagined it, as it made no sense, but Sakura gave an ear-splitting groan and a shout of 'Not again!'

Sasuke and Naruto looked at their interaction with the some amount of confusion.

But none of it mattered. Obito was back from the dead_. Reincarnated. _

Kakashi found it beyond amusing, he felt some water trick down his face from behind his eyes, sogging his mask. _Should have known you were too stubborn to die_.

He walked right over and ruffled Sakura's hair.

"Heey!" She tried combing her hair back in place with her fingers, a disgruntled pout on her face that also resembled his dead teammate's. "Oi, sensei, your hand is cold!"

"Heh. Heheh. Really?" His eye curled as he pivoted to leave. "In any case, let's get some ramen at Ichiraku's, all of us. My treat,"

"YATTA!" Naruto fistpumped the air at the sound of it, "Wait, what?"

"Oh, by the way, if it still concerns you," Kakashi said, snapping the three brats to attention. "You all pass."

"WHAT?!"

Unlike Sasuke and Naruto, Sakura had a petrified expression on her face. "How'd we pass?" _Is it because of my resemblance? _

"Teamwork." He smiled, "you're the first squad that succeeded. The others did exactly what I said, and fell into every trap. They couldn't think for themselves. A ninja must see through deception." He paused. "Although, you ruined my fun before it began."

Kakashi reached into his pouch and pulled out a third bell, holding them together. "Is this better?"

. . .

. . .

Three stomachs growled.

"Oh alright," he relented, "ramen first."

The two lunchboxes laid forgotten as they went to their favorite bar.

* * *

合作


	37. Weirdness

面条

* * *

"So the purpose of the test was to get us to work together?" Sakura muffled through mouthfuls of ramen. She'd downed 2 bowls and Naruto was at his 5th.

Kakashi sweatdropped. "Yeah."

She started choking and Naruto pat her back with worry. Then she held her hand over her neck and with a faint glow, the choking stopped. "Um, sensei, if that was all there was, we could've skipped the test altogether."

"That we did," he replied, miffed on missing out the chance to terrify his three newly-minted genin. Now they neither respected nor feared him. They never had the chance to witness the extent of his powerful capabilities, and only saw him as some old pervert with nothing to offer. And now, they're treating him coarsely and straightforwardly, instead of with the careful reverence one should treat a Sensei.

Sasuke had only eaten the vegetables and hadn't touched a noodle. "Teuchi-san, I'd like more tomatoes," he requested menacingly.

"Uhh, sure," the ramen chef grabbed an unchopped, fresh round tomato and plopped it atop the soft bedding of noodles in Sasuke's bowl, before returning back to work as if this was a daily occurrence he was long accustomed to.

Kakashi looked at him weirdly.

"Ano! Teuchi-san, I would like-"

"Yeah, sure," Teuchi grabbed a box of sweet dango and plopped them into Sakura's noodle bowl, before completing a new bowl of miso ramen to replace Naruto's empty bowl.

"You know you shouldn't mix salty ramen with sweet dango."

"It's okay, Sensei, I don't have to diet since I found a medical-ninjutsu way to compromise with whatever unhealthy eating habits I acquired." She tilted her head towards the hands-down-winner of ramen-speed-eating. "Naruto's the same," _with the Kyuubi._

Sasuke finished his tomato.

"Are you gonna eat that?" Naruto pointed at his cold ramen.

He raised an eyebrow, "What, you want it?"

"You bet!"

"No," he said just to spite his, according to Naruto, 'rival.'

"Okay then!" Naruto tackled Sasuke and while grabbing strings of cold ramen, shoving them into Sasuke's mouth.

"EW! NARUTO!" Sakura stood up and tried to pull the orange roach off. "Get off Sasuke!"

"Okay Saku-chan," Naruto backed off and Sakura grabbed Sasuke's shoulders to steady him, as he reluctantly chewed on the ramen just so he won't choke. "It's okay if you choke," Sakura said to calm him down, "those are easy to fix." Naruto had his hands over his mouth trying to stifle his laughter.

Those words failed to calm Sasuke down and he glared at her, slowly chewing the ramen. His pride as an Uchiha prevented him from spitting out the foul, fatty noodles, so he swallowed.

"There, see, that wasn't so bad," Sakura said amicably.

Naruto laughed, "THAT WAS AWESOME!"

Throughout their whole interaction, Kakashi could only watch speechlessly. He crossed his arms and leaned back from his bar stool, only there wasn't anything to lean on, so he augmented his posture with chakra control. _What have I gotten myself into?_

Sakura watched his acrobatic way of sitting, and attempted to lean her spine at a 45 degree, only to fall backfirst to the ground. **UGH! How is he doing that?!**

Kakashi chuckled at her while her teammates looked sympathetic.

Not one to be one-upped, Sakura pointed out, "Oh, um, Sensei, you should eat your ramen,"

Kakashi blinked at her and smirked as the ramen vanished cleanly off his bowl. His speed, even when eating, was faster than a genin's eyes could track.

She gawked. **Damn! I wanted to see him unmasked! **_Oh wait! The glasses! _

Apparently, Kakashi was a mind reader, or it was because he could read through every bit of Obito's antics and Sakura just so happened to take on some of those antics, or expressions. He reached over her and pulled those glasses off her face.

**"HEY! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" **Inner manifested herself into Sakura's voice.

Kakashi stared at her like an alien, before smirking. "'Course I can. I'm your Sensei, and what's this?" He started playing with the glasses, using his advanced ninja skills, experience, and dexterous fingers to learn the function of her eyewear. "Hmm, I wonder where you got these. Never seen anything like it."

"None of your business, now give them back!" Sakura was reaching up as Kakashi stood, holding them high above her reach with an amused expression. He was enjoying this too much, basking in nostalgia perhaps.

"Oi! Don't bully Saku-chan!" Naruto was flanking Kakashi's other side.

Sasuke ignored them, _losers_. "Teuchi-san,"

He fumbled through the glasses, deleting the slow-motion video recording that caught an image of his face, and accidentally activating another recording, visual and audio, displaying the Hyuuga Clan Leader's girly scream.

Kakashi sweatdropped.

They had stopped tugging his clothes and looked at each other conspiratorially in clear shame.

He sighed, not sure whether to regret going through Sakura's glasses. "I'm not even going to ask."

* * *

面条


	38. Tora the Fancat

豪火球

* * *

After chasing the Demon Cat Tora for 30 minutes, Sakura summoned Koneko.

"What do you want?" he hissed.

"Help us find Tora!"

"That fangirl of mine?"

"MEWWWW!" Tora appeared out of nowhere and came zooming towards a freaked out Koneko.

Naruto jumped in between them and Tora crashed into his chest.

_Now's my chance!_ Sakura whipped out a paralysis seal tag and stuck it to Tora's fur, and Sasuke stuck a chakra suppressant seal of his own.

Tora stopped tearing shreds to Naruto's jumpsuit, and passed out.

"Isn't that a little harsh?" Kakashi commented.

"Better than using genjutsu," she retorted.

"Cats have fangirls?" Naruto grinned conspiratorially at Koneko. "That's just like Sasuke-teme!"

"Hn." Koneko and Sasuke 'said.'

"Hey, if we use this method, we'll finish this mission within seconds every time!" Sakura exclaimed, "Right Sensei?"

Kakashi placed his hand under his chin. "Welll….It would save us the time for other things. Let's just report in."

* * *

62 Tora Missions Later…(In 2 weeks)

* * *

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had done more D-ranks than any other rookie genin, and more cash.

They also more than qualified for a C-rank.

"Which is why," Sakura explained, "We should get a C-rank that lets us travel out of the village! An escort mission!"

"Yeah yeah yeah!" Naruto cheered on.

The Hokage sighed. He couldn't tell them they weren't ready. Most genin took their first C-rank at the maximum of the 20th D-rank. Team 7 did a total of 62, in a period of a little more than 2 weeks, by taking on that one specific mission more than once a day.

It was a peculiarity. The Tora mission tended to be the most unpopular mission.

"Very well," Sarutobi sighed. "I suppose you've earned your right by working your way up to the correct number of missions, even if it is too early. Send in the client."

At his cue, an old man with a sunhat and a bottle of beer opened the door and walked in, drunk.

The man chugged down his sake before wiping his mouth and blurting out, "These are just kids! How are they supposed to protect me? Especially that one in the funky goggles."

.

..

.

"HEY!" Sakura shouted indignantly. "I'll kill—"

Sasuke and Naruto pulled her back by either arm, "We're not supposed to kill the cli—"

"He's an old man, Sakura-chan," Kakashi smirked behind his mask.

Sakura's struggling stopped. "Oh, sorry, you must be exhausted! Beer is bad for you, here, let me take that off your hands," she snatched his sake off his hands and trashed it.

_Worked like a charm_, Kakashi chuckled.

"My beer!" Tazuna shrieked.

Sakura shoved a water bottle into his empty hands. "We have to get going now. Do you need me to carry you? I mean, if you need a walking stick,"

"I'M NOT THAT INCOMPETENT!" Tazuna shouted. "Let's go!" He stormed out with impressive speed as if to prove the point.

Team 7 gave chase.

* * *

豪火球

* * *

Sakura was walking with her team while staying protectively close to Tazuna. Then, she noticed a puddle.

"Oi Sasuke, is this how you do it?" Sakura asked as she made the Snake, Ram, and Tiger hand signs. Sasuke nodded slightly as a small fireball flew out of Sakura's mouth and incinerated the puddle into mist.

The mist stopped vaporizing and solidified into two figures that looked strangely like Naruto's discombobulated clones when he failed the graduation test. They fell to the floor, dead.

Naruto ran over to them excitedly and poked one of the corpses, then his face went green as he jumped. "Ee!"

"For your sake, I hope they're merely unconscious," Kakashi drawled, "if they're not on the bingo book, you might get in trouble, Sakura-chan."

"Eheheh," Sakura rubbed the back of her head.

Sasuke watched the scenario in confusion, before understanding dawned. "We've nearly been ambushed."

Kakashi sighed. He saw the ambush miles ago, and was hoping to find out who they were really targeting. He had no idea if it was the same for Sakura, or if she was simply fooling around.

With no reason to stop, they traveled on at a sedate pace.

Tazuna felt his sweat drip down his face, but kept quiet.

* * *

豪火球

* * *

**Author Note: **We're at the Zabuza arc! Sorry I missed yesterday's update! I also didn't want to go through the fight with the Demon Brothers since there are more interesting things to write about. I might rush through canon content too, like the Zabuza fight for example, IF there are no changes and Sakura doesn't participate. I don't like reading stories that repeat canon events so I guess I shouldn't be writing in detail on things you already know would happen unless..yeah. Thanks for reviewing!


	39. Foggy Vision 雨雾

雨雾

* * *

"GET DOWN!" Kakashi shouted as everyone ducked to the floor. A giant sword spun over them, embedding itself to a tree ten meters away. A silhouette with a muscular build and cow pants appeared standing on the blade.

Sakura's eyes squinted through the mist as she recognized the new entrant as Zabuza Momochi from the bingo books Obito had her skim over.

_"This ninja is a potential threat to my ultimate plan towards peace," he had told her._

Sakura immediately tensed up, speaking for her team's sake, "that's a missing nin from the Hidden Mist and one of the Seven Swordsmen."

Zabuza chuckled before her team could question her, "I see you've done your research, little girl. But booksmarts won't get you anywhere. I'm here for the bridge builder. Hand him over and I might just spare your lives."

Kakashi was caught off guard. Why was an S-rank missing criminal going after a C-rank mission client? Unless he had sent in the wrong information...Kakashi started shaking in rage.

"W-Why are you after Tazuna-san?" Sakura asked, snapping Kakashi out of his trance.

Zabuza eyed her coolly, as if deciding whether to tell her. Well, he was feeling talkative at this moment. "He poses a threat to Gato, the CEO of some shipping industry. I don't really care, I'm just here to kill him for the money."

Kakashi was infuriated. He was tempted to hand Tazuna over; if it would save his team, he was more than eager to abandon the mission.

Tazuna must have sensed the Jounin's intentions, for he gasped out; "Please! I didn't want to lie but the situation in Wave is terrible! Everyone's starving and homeless! Gato overtaxes us! I'm their only hope to bridge my country to the outside world! If I die here my 4-year-old grandson and cute little daughter will be devastated!"

Sakura and Naruto watched him with tears in their eyes.

"Hn." Sasuke closed his eyes, "I suppose it would tarnish our record if we fail our first C-rank."

They knew that was his way of saying 'yes, we'll continue the mission,' so Kakashi didn't point out that it was an A-rank at this point and no one would be penalized for failing it, being far more likely to die. He gave in, "Alright, kids, we're continuing the mission."

"Ha-haha-haah," Zabuza laughed sinisterly, "Foolish brats. You're all just wimps, green-leafs, with a distorted view of reality. When I was your age, I've long stained my hands with blood and death. There is no nobility in the ninja world," his voice turned bitter. "In my village, we were required to slaughter the friends we grew up with, to graduate."

Tired of not getting a say, Kakashi took the chance to explain. "In Kirigakure, the graduation exam involves fighting a classmate to the death."

The trio bristled. "That's horrible," Sakura declared, sympathetic eyes landing on Zabuza, "you were forced to k-kill your friend?"

Zabuza grinned, and she could see the outline of his teeth behind his white mask. "I killed my entire graduating class." His gaze wandered towards Sakura's still form, "_It felt good_." Killing intent slowly leaked towards them like floating gas.

Sakura went white and her eyes flickered towards her two boys; they were trembling. Sasuke had a kunai out, but it was pointed towards himself.

"Sas-"

"I won't allow any of my comrades to die. I'll protect you with my life. Trust me," Kakashi smiled.

Sasuke's trembling stopped, and Naruto's eyes hardened.

"Neither will I! I won't go back on my word ever again!" Naruto shouted.

Sasuke smirked, regaining his voice, somehow making it sound more cocky than before, "You're just a lonesome guy."

Sakura looked to her team with newfound veneration. She felt a little self-conscious, but at the same time she was glad she was here with them. They've said it all, so she stayed silent, looking back on Zabuza.

This time it was him bristling with rage, and she tried her best to ignore the killing intent which seemed to have weakened, but in reality grew stronger. It was simply that Team 7 developed a semi-immunity to it.

"What do you know?" Zabuza growled, leaping down from his sword. "You're kids without ambition, taking on an escort mission for the fun of it. I have_ resolve_, a reason to fight." _To overthrow the tyrant Mizukage._ "Not that it matters, you're all ants to be crushed."

"Everyone, stay back and protect Tazuna!" Kakashi ordered, "This fight is beyond your league!"

The battle began.

* * *

雨雾


	40. Zabuza

Zabuza landed onto the water, a ram sign to his chest and a hand pointing upwards. "Ninja Art…Hidden Mist Jutsu…"

The mist thickened until Sakura couldn't see further than three feet…It was worse that her glasses were fogging up. "S-Sensei…?"

"He'll come after me first," Kakashi's commanding voice vibrated, "He's a master of the Silent Killing Technique."

Sakura turned her head towards his direction. The hostile-chakra-infused mist was stinging her emerald eyes, so she pulled her goggles over them. Her vision cleared _slightly_, but at least now she didn't have to worry about permanently damaging her eyesight.

"It happens in an instant, without sound or warning of any kind," Kakashi informed them, "It's so fast, you past on from this life without realizing what has happened. The Sharingan cannot fully neutralize it, so don't lower your guard."

_Stress._

_Anxiety._

_Fear._

"Well, if we fail," he said in a playful tone, "we only lose our lives."

Suddenly, Sakura blushed, embarrassed despite herself. _The way Sensei says that makes me look bad for being scared of death! _

"Eight points," Zabuza's deep voice intoned, "Larynx, _spine," _

Sakura's blush deepened,

"Larynx, _spine, lungs__," _

_**He's doing the same thing as Kakashi! **__Her body started shaking, _

_"livers, _jugular, subclavian artery,

_He's also trying to make me stressed and anxious, while playing it off as something mundane! To make me look bad! _

**Nope, not happening!**

"…kidneys, and heart. _Now_, which will be my kill point?"

**Fucking hell, do all jounin joke about death like this? **

_Well, I won't be scared anymore! __**SHANNARO!**_**Not over my dead body!**

Kakashi made a hand seal that made an outburst of chakra. His killing intent clashed with Zabuza's.

The invasive intent of two jounin was just too much, and Naruto and Sasuke started trembling, but not as badly as Sakura, who was outright shaking.

Kakashi noticed.

"Sakura! Calm down. I'll protect you with my life. Trust me."

_E-Eep, that's not the reason I was…_

Flustered, Sakura's face went completely red as she forced herself to stop trembling.

Sasuke noticed her full-out blush and narrowed his eyes, forgetting about the killing intent. He also calmed down.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Zabuza's breath trickled down the back of her neck, inches behind her, "It's over."

**OH MY GOSH YOU DEATH PERVERT! **It was completely her impulse. Or perhaps genjutsu. Sakura was _not _supposed to be this fast. It just wasn't natural. A 12-year-old girl, 2 weeks being a ninja, should not have been faster than an S-class missing-nin with two decades of honing his skills. It just wasn't possible.

And yet, it happened.

**SHANNARO! **Sakura's fist collided directly into Zabuza's jaw, as her feet only slid to rotate her. She hadn't even taken two steps, Zabuza had positioned himself strategically between her and Tazuna, to his own unforeseen doom.

Kakashi turned around a split millisecond slower than Sakura's attack, his Sharingan blazing and a kunai ready to throw towards enemy's chest. He held back just in time, though, because otherwise the knife would have hit Sakura's back.

Zabuza was thrown backwards five feet, landing onto his back with a furious Sakura standing above him, her fist still raised.

With his Sharingan, Kakashi realized his own attack would've been futile. It wouldn't have landed on the real Zabuza, but a Water Clone.

Sakura, however, was fast enough to interrupt Zabuza from substituting with a Water Clone, with her 'surprise attack.' So, he took the brunt of her attack, and his jaw dislocated.

Rubbing a growing bruise and dented bones at his neck, Zabuza growled angrily and swung his blade at Sakura.

This time she wasn't as fast.

The sword embedded into her hip, inches deep, and she bit back a scream as she placed her hands against the sword, trying to hold it back from severing her entire body in half. She even used chakra, even took advantage of her bleeding palms and waist. Blood held incredibly potent chakra; it was the reason ninja required a blood sacrifice for Summoning Jutsu, so she strengthened her hold against Zabuza's sword by using chakra in her blood. Yet…the sword was also absorbing her blood, the nits and cracks closing themselves…

_It's taking the iron from my blood to repair itself_.

**No time for that! **

It was a battle of brute strength.

This type of chakra control was hard to maintain. It wasn't like gathering a massive amount of chakra into a point in her fist to punch something. It was like gathering the chakra into her _blood_, which was freely flowing, leaking out arbitrarily. There was no stillness that the skin of a fist could offer. However, it offered extraordinary power. As to whether she could use it, or whether it would disappear from her use at the worst possible moment, it was a _gamble_.

Sakura would later discover the writer of the many stolen medical research notes was quite a gambler herself.

Sakura grunted unfeminine, bending her knees as the tide of the battle shifted.

They'd been at a deadlock, Zabuza using his toned muscles to push his sword through her ribs, and Sakura using her pinpoint, but now erratic, chakra control to stop him.

Now, she smirked, ripping his blade off his hands and throwing it as far as she could.

All this took only three seconds, leaving Zabuza weaponless.

"What the hell," Zabuza said in disbelief. He been expecting to kill Sakura, not have his blade thrown away.

Kakashi's Sharingan watched every movement, looking for an opening without hurting Sakura, trying to ignore the rage building up inside him. Suddenly, Sakura coughed up blood, and collapsed to the floor, leaving Zabuza without the meatshield.

"SAKUURAA!" Naruto yelled, providing a sufficient distraction.

Kakashi threw his kunai towards Zabuza's chest, and without his sword to deflect it, Zabuza leaped back. There was no time to substitute with a Water Clone, the female genin had kept him on his toes, and now it was the Copy Ninja's turn. _Give me a break already._

Before Zabuza could land on his feet, KAkashi materialized behind him, a kunai to his neck.

Zabuza's eyes scanned through the mist, trying to locate his sword. It was a double-edged jutsu. While his hearing was amplified and his chakra sensitive, such that he knew every one's locations, the girl had managed to dump his valued sword _outside_ of the hidden mist.

"Don't even think about it," Kakashi warned, the kunai pressing into his throat. "You're finished."

Zabuza dissolved into water. He had skillfully substituted himself with a Water Clone during mid-jump, his movements too fast for anyone to notice. The real Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi, slamming a kick at his back.

Kakashi was sent flying through the air, into the water, and Zabuza gave chase (sadly without his sword.)

"Water Release: Water Prison Jutsu!" Zabuza trapped Kakashi within a large orb of water, holding it with one hand, his other hand making a hand sign. A new water clone rose from the lake.

Kakashi freaked out. Sakura was unconscious and bleeding, Naruto and Sasuke were unharmed yet scared.

Zabuza chose that moment to laugh at the sheer absurdity of the situation. "Don't you see it now? You thought that wearing a headband made you a ninja. Only when you've hovered between life and death so many times it doesn't faze you, could you be called a ninja. When you've become so deadly your profile is entered in my Bingo Book, then, you may have earned the title _ninja_. But to call upstarts like you 'ninja' is a joke," his chin pointed towards the pinkhead, her movements completely still.

_No. No. No. Sakura-chan. Sensei. _Naruto hadn't faced the Demon Brothers, he made no oath, so he was desperate to run. But he didn't need to make such an oath, he'd long done so. With Sakura-chan. With Sasuke-teme.

The mist thickened as Naruto tried to get past the clone. Sakura could have jumped away unharmed when Zabuza appeared behind her, but she didn't. She held her ground to fight. Now, it was Naruto's turn.

He charged the clone, but was knocked backwards. His headband fell off, and the Zabuza clone stepped on it.

Kakashi realized what Naruto was doing and yelled; "Stop! Naruto, take Sakura! Sasuke, take Tazuna! Both of you leave! Now is not the time to play the hero. The mission is to protect the bridge builder, and you have to get Sakura immediate medical attention, or she'll die!"

Naruto froze._ If I take Sakura-chan and run, Sensei will die. But if I stay and fight, Sakura-chan will bleed to death. _

"Not an option," Sasuke said firmly. "That became impossible the instant you got caught. No matter how far we run, he'll track us down and wipe us out, all of us. Any defense we have… he can get around it in an instant. If we're on our own…"

Making his decision, Sasuke met his gaze with Naruto. "Our only chance of survival is to rescue Sensei. We've got to do it."

After getting the message across, Sasuke barraged Zabuza, who grabbed his neck and threw him back.

Naruto had flashbacks and started charging Zabuza next. He was kicked to the floor, but he had his headband back.

"Put this in your bingo book. The ninja that will become the Hokage of Konoha…_she _never backs down," Naruto felt moisture in his eyes. He knew it wasn't completely from the mist. Swallowing, he set a determined gaze. "…Her name's Sakura Haruno!"

Sasuke's eyes shot towards Naruto, shocked.

"Alright Sasuke, listen up! I've got a plan."

_Naruto thinks Sakura…will beat him to his dream…I wouldn't say I think any different...about my own dream. "_Heh. So you're finally thinking about teamwork, huh?"

Naruto grinned, "I don't abandon my comrades for any mission!"

"Tazuna?" Sasuke questioned.

"Forget about me, and do what you have to do. Go ahead and fight to save your sensei!" Tazuna reassured Sasuke.

* * *

**Author Note**: xxAkatsukisBanexx CREATED FANART FOR THIS STORY! It's on deviantart, New Future by nikka-hime , or just go to my profile and click the link! It's Sakura's outfit ^_^ I got so excited and replaced the cover with a section of it XD

if you have a deviant account, go there and comment! Thanks for reviewing!


	41. Haku

城市

* * *

Zabuza elbowed Sasuke in the gut with massive strength, slamming him against the hard ground, before stomping his foot to the boy's chest, pinning and crushing him down.

Sasuke choked out blood as his hands grabbed ahold of Zabuza's ankle, nails feebly pushing the iron force off his lungs.

At the same time, special binding seals, in ink form, were streaking out Sasuke's hands, climbing into Zabuza's legs. It was unnoticeable through the mist and Zabuza's arrogance.

Suddenly, Zabuza's water clone convulsed, and dispelled.

Zabuza's eyes widened, and so did Kakashi's.

"Naruto, GO!" Sasuke gasped out, choking on his own blood. He passed out from exhaustion, not that anyone noticed.

"Shut up teme!" _Kage Bushin no Jutsu!_ Naruto formed 50 solid clones to surround and assault Zabuza, all with kunai and deadly fists.

They jumped him simultaneously, and Zabuza had to release the Water Prison on Kakashi to defend himself. If the annoying girl hadn't removed his sword, he could have stabbed his Kubikiribōchō through the water prison into Kakashi's cramped body before the clones reached him. If the Uchiha boy hadn't destroyed his water clone,_ that_ could have been used to retrieve his sword or to shield him off the clones. The clones were slow, bulky, and he had enough time. But, he didn't have the options.

. _Just watch. They'll be teaching this example in the Academies, preaching 'teamwork.' Pathetic. _

Zabuza's hands flew through forty speed-signs as he worked up a Water Dragon Jutsu. He was surrounded on all sides, this was his only way out, he'd complete it before the clones could reach him.

But Kakashi was faster.

Zabuza felt the cold metal of a kunai pierce through his back, before the pain spread. He didn't flinch.

"You should've gone for my heart, Kakashi."

A water dragon burst out of the water and whirled around them, popping forty clones and opening its icy jaws as it blasted towards Kakashi's side while out of range from hitting Zabuza.

Only for Kakashi to step backwards, holding Zabuza with him, and the Water Dragon to crash into them both.

That took them out instantaneously.

They were washed ashore, immobile.

The battle was over…

…

.

…

.

"WHAT?!" Naruto jumped, dumbfounded.

He raised a hand to his head, whirling his body as he looked back and forth between Sakura and Sasuke, towards Kakashi and Zabuza.

Everyone was unconscious except Naruto.

Of all people, _Naruto_ was left alone to deal with the aftermath.

"OI! THIS ISN'T FAIR! WHY ME?!"

..

...

"...Uh, kid, I think you overlooked me," Tazuna said from the sidelines.

"Tazuna-ojii!" Naruto grinned, stars in his wetting eyes.

"Don't call me grandpa!" the bridge builder jogged towards Naruto. "But I gotta say, that was the super fight! Your friends will be tended to. My daughter Tsunami is no doctor, but she assists one. Let's carry these bodies back home.."

"No problem!" Naruto formed six shadow clones to lift the unconscious shinobi. One each for Sasuke and Sakura. Two each for Kakashi and Zabuza.

"Uhh brat, why are you taking umm...the missing nin?" Tazuna gulped.

Naruto looked at him like he was stupid. "Tsunami-chan can heal like Sakura-chan, right? Then we're gonna heal him, 'ttebayo!"

"WHAT?! He tried to kill us! He's an enemy, right?" Tazuna flailed. He was not getting this. "He's gonna kill me when he wakes up!"

Naruto had a mischievous grin on his face. "That's why we're gonna tie him up!"

..

"Um, excuse me," an androgynous voice importuned. "I'm a Hunter Ninja-"

"Eh?! What's that?" Naruto spun around and noticed a new arrival standing five meters from him. The dude was wearing a white mask like an ANBU and only four inches taller than him. "Oi! What're you doin' here?! 'ttebayo! What's Hun-Hun Nin? What's your name?!" Naruto was bouncing with excitement as he bounced towards the_ slightly_ older boy who was making no move to attack him, so he must be good, right?

"W-Wait!" Tazuna reached out, worried it was another ninja after him. It was his fault that three of them were taken out, if the last Leaf ninja died...Tazuna would never live it down.

But Naruto wasn't stupid, his openness wasn't unwarranted. Naruto could_ sense_ it. He always had a way with people when they gave him a chance.

A sigh. "I'm from the Mist Village, and it was my duty to hunt down Zabuza Momochi. He committed crimes against the Mist..." Haku looked at the blank face on the blonde, and relaxed his hold on his senbon. " ...I suppose you're a newly-minted ninja. I'll explain."

"Not another lecture!" Naruto groaned.

The masked nin smiled. "We of the Hunter-nin corps are given the specific duty of hunting down missing-nin. We are to completely erase the person we're searching for by means of our superior assassination techniques and medical skills. This is so that Villages don't research the bodies of our ninja and uncover our secrets."

"Huh?" Naruto shrugged. "Forget that! Tell me your name! Mister, umm, Snowy!" _Yeah! Snow White! Like the white mask! _

"..." He sighed. He supposed there was no harm in telling this boy. He'd find out the truth eventually, and there was a slim chance he knew every name of the Mist's secret ANBU Hunter Corps. _Better than being called Snowy. _"...It's Haku," he said softly.

"Aku, eh? I'm Naruto!"

Haku's lips twitched. "Ha-ku."

"Okay Haku!" Naruto grinned, "I heard something about 'assassination techniques and medical skills'? You gotta teach me after helping my friends!"

Tazuna looked between them before bluffing, "Yeah, please heal these poor kids! My little grandson would be devastated and my cute daughter would be exhausted and stressed all night, not knowing how to treat these kids, not knowing any medical skills! She would be shamed and hurt forever because she let these kids die! My little grandson would-"

"I'm afraid I have no time," Haku interrupted, hiding the pain in his heart with an emotionless, stony voice. He walked up to his Master's body. "I have to destroy Zabuza's body immediately," he pulled out a needle and positioned it towards the temporary-death-inducing point at Zabuza's neck.

"WAIT!" Naruto's clones backed up as the real Naruto shoved Haku off. "Don't kill him!"

"What?" Haku was shocked.

"You can't! You can't!" Naruto screamed, "You can't take him out like it's nothing! You're the same age as me! You can't! He's harmless, believe it!"

It was then that he noticed how carefully the clones were holding his Master, how protectively Naruto was standing between them. If he didn't know any better, Haku would've thought Naruto was ready to fight to the death to protect Zabuza.

...He lowered his senbon. "Very well. What are your plans?"

"'Gonna heal 'em!" Naruto flashed his sunny grin, and Haku felt his insides melt. He was like ice towards the sun, towards Naruto.

"So, you comin' along, Haku?" Naruto didn't wait for him to answer. He grabbed Haku's hand, the same way Sakura-chan always grabbed his, and pulled him along the rest of the path towards Tazuna's house.

The bridge builder kept quiet, and Haku couldn't bring himself to take the chance to kill him. That was understandable, but what's worse...

Haku found he couldn't resist this touch of affection, this bright child...He needed to stick close to Zabuza anyway. _I'll take Zabuza-sama with me as soon as possible, right after I healed him and no one's watching. _

Naruto shot an outwardly suspicious look at Haku, "Oi! Don't think I'm not watchin' you! If you make one move to kill this creep, nu-uh!"

Haku gulped. _Or not._

_..._

_I hope Zabuza-sama doesn't wake up too soon. I'm not ready for this._

* * *

城市


	42. Money

仁爱

* * *

When they reached Tazuna's house, they were greeted at the door by Tsunami and her 4-year-old son Inari. Inari stared at the ninja in shock before pointing at them and shouting, "See that's what happens when you go up against Gato! You can't beat him! If you go against him, he'll kill you!"

Haku's stomach lurched. That was their employer.

"OI! WHO'S THIS GATO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT?" Naruto yelled and ran towards Inari.

Tazuna cleared his throat. "He's the tycoon of the shipping industry who keeps thwarting our business and keeping our country poor. But no worries, I'll save everyone with my super bridge! Not to mention we caught a super big fish," Tazuna pointed at Zabuza's bulky body with a thumb.

Tsunami giggled. "I'm glad you reached home safe. Not many people see it but you're a brave hero, father."

Inari crossed his arms and looked aside, "Hmph! You're just gonna get killed, old man!" Then Naruto punched him and the two boys got into a brawl.

Tazuna grinned, and Haku's gut twisted.

* * *

仁爱

* * *

"Ummmmmmm…" Naruto blushed.

Haku looked at him. "Their clothes are wet so we must wash them with warm water, after healing them. Otherwise, they will catch colds."

"Ummmmmmmmmmm." Naruto rubbed his hands. "Sakura-chan's a girl…and I don't wanna see Sasuke-teme and my Sensei naked."

Haku blinked in mild surprise. _He's still a child_. "Very well," Haku sighed. "I'll clean them up for you."

"Wh-WHA? NO! NOPE! NOT HAPPENIN'! 'specially not Saku-chan!" Naruto crossed his arms for emphasis. Then Naruto wasn't sure if he got Haku's gender right, and suddenly wanted to see behind Haku's mask. "Oi take off your mask."

"Why?"

"I wanna see if you're a boy or girl."

"I'm a boy."

"Prove it!"

Haku sighed and removed his mask, revealing beautiful gentle features most kunoichi would kill for.

"LIAR! You're a girl!"

"No, I'm a boy."

"Well you don't look like you're lying so I believe you!" Naruto grinned, knowing he had the_ best_ lie detector skills _ever_. "Ummm…Right! Dammit! I was hopin' you were a girl so you can wash Saku-chan!"

_Really. Didn't seem like it._ Haku wisely kept that opinion to himself.

"Hoh?!" a woman gasped, coming up behind Haku and Naruto. "I'll clean the girl up! You boys just work on the..._men_." She blushed as red as Naruto.

"Who are you?!" Naruto shrieked.

Tazuna came up, "Idiot, that's my daughter Tsunami! Carry the bodies to the bathroom and get it over with," he ordered as he chugged down another bottle of beer.

Tsunami ripped the whiskey off his hands and trashed it, before lifting up Sakura's body. Haku blinked and picked up Sasuke while Naruto's clones picked up Zabuza and Kakashi.

They entered the fortunately large bathroom and took off their clothes to tend to them.

"Okay I know I'm a boy but I need to heal Sakura's wounds," Haku told Naruto and Tsunami, who reluctantly stepped aside.

"Oh who cares," Tsunami told Naruto, "he's no leecher." At Naruto's look of disbelief, she elaborated. "Women's intuition."

Meanwhile,

Haku fixed Sakura's wounds first because they were the most disastrous. Then he worked on Sasuke, as his internal organs were damaged from Zabuza's brutality.

Finally, Haku cured the worst of Zabuza's wounds.

Haku also cured Kakashi, but to a bare minimum so that he won't die, but he would be easy to take out, if Zabuza decides to kill him.

He was too soft-hearted for his own good.

Then he called for Tsunami and Naruto and they set to wash the salt water off the unconscious bodies and clothes, before dressing them up and setting them to bed.

* * *

_Hmm...Just in case. _

Haku placed his hands over Kakashi's head and a light green glow covered his palms. He was inducing benzodiazepine, diphenhydramine, zopiclone, Excedrin PM Nytol Tylenol PM and zaleplon receptors in Kakashi's nervous system and brain to keep him asleep for a little longer.

_Should I do the same for Zabuza-sama?_ Haku thought about the consequences of going along with these kids, and decided he was not ready to face Zabuza yet. He'll just stimulate _less_ receptors in Zabuza than in Kakashi, just enough so that his master will wake up earlier than the kids' Sensei. He approached Zabuza and repeated the process, keeping his eyes off his Master's lower region.

Both adults going to stay unconscious for approximately a week, Zabuza would wake up three days earlier than Kakashi.

"Come help me cook dinner, Haku-chan!" Tsunami called from the kitchen, humming a low tone under her breath. "You're from the Hidden Mist, aren't you? I must know your fish recipes! Here at Wave, we don't have much."

Haku smiled, as he lifted a basket of herbs before walking into the kitchen. "Then I'm glad to have provided you with sufficient ingredients."

Naruto jogged in between them, looking back and forth and rubbing his head in confusion. _They're cooking up awesome new stuff? I gotta learn how!_

* * *

仁爱

* * *

Sakura blinked groggily awake, her hands reaching for the ceiling. She grunted in pain and pushed herself up, only to see Sasuke sitting beside her with his legs crossed and glancing around.

Sasuke froze, and Sakura followed his gaze, seeing an unconscious Zabuza sleeping in the same room as them. Their Sensei was asleep right beside Zabuza.

"Sasuke, I think we won." **HELL YEAH!**

"Hn," Sasuke smirked, "Where's Naruto?"

The door opened and their dobe sauntered in, carefully yet carelessly carrying a bowl of steaming soup. "Ouch!" some of the hot soup splashed into Naruto's hands, but he endured it and set it down before Sakura.

_Wow, that's nice_. "Um, thanks, Naruto," Sakura blushed, blowing on the soup and attempting to drink. "Ow!"

Sasuke shook his head at him. "Idiots."

Haku, who'd been behind Naruto this whole time, gave Sasuke his bowl of soup. "You should drink up as well, it will replenish your chakra and energy."

Sasuke shrugged slightly and took a small sip, before realizing how hungry he was and gulping down two swallows per second, ignoring the hot sting entering his mouth, throat, and chest. The fireball jutsu was hotter.

"W-Whoa, so fast, Sasuke," Naruto commented, before looking to Sakura, who just shrugged and attempted to race Sasuke.

When they finished, they set their bowls aside and listened to Naruto explain everything that happened.

* * *

仁爱

* * *

"Heey, if you're a Hunter Nin, how come you kill Zabuza right away?" Sakura pointed out. In reaction, Haku tensed to attack, but Sakura continued, "And I'm only asking this because I trust you. You could have killed us when we were all knocked out, but you didn't, so you certainly won't do it now."

Haku hesitated, relaxing his hold on the senbon hidden inside his sleeves. _She's right, why didn't I kill them when I had the chance? I mean, I can do it right now if I wanted. They're genin, children, and the jounin is unconscious._

"Hey, she asked you a question," Sasuke said irritably. "We're stuck in a standstill until you explain yourself. Don't take us for idiots, your story has holes in it."

Haku looked at Sasuke, only to be tackled by Naruto.

"YEAH TELL US TELL US!" Naruto hollered into his ear.

Haku pulled Naruto off. _They're going to die anyway. I might as well tell them the truth. There's nothing they can do with that information, and if they try something, I'll kill them_. (Yeah, keep believing that, Haku.)

"Alright," Haku said, "I'll tell you. I'm not really a Hunter Nin." He awaited their surprised reactions, but there were none. They knew. Except Naruto, who was gasping in shock, but Naruto was also gasping when he tackled him, so...

"Zabuza is my...Sensei. He's a rogue ninja, so naturally, I am too. The Mizukage is a tyrant, and I'm sure he told you about Kirigakure's graduation exams, yes?" Haku's eyes saddened. "We plan to overthrow Yagura, but first, we need the funding...the hard cash."

Naruto looked at him with sad eyes, sympathetic. "Oh."

Sasuke had a different take. "You work for Gato for the money. You disregard the suffering of others for money."_ Just like Itachi did for his power_.

Haku shook his head, "No, not like that. I'm a tool for Zabuza-sama. If that is what he wants, that is what I will do." He felt nostalgic. "Zabuza-sama saved me, and became my mentor. I'll do anything for him."

"I think I understand you," Sakura replied, thinking of Obito-kun. _But Obito-kun never used me as a tool. He cares for me just like Naruto and Sasuke do, he's my friend._ "But you're wrong about one thing, Haku," she said firmly. "You're not his tool. You're too valuable for that. You're his friend."

Haku stared at her as if she'd grown a second head. "No, I'm worthless without Zabuza-sama."

_So am I without Obito-kun!_ "Zabuza won't want you to think that!"

"Actually, he would."

"Well then what about you? Don't you want him to think of you as something more than a tool?" Sakura placed her hands on her hips sternly. "Be honest!"

Haku hesitated. "I...I do..No, I have no right."

"Do you think of him as just your master to take commands from, or someone more than that?" Sakura scooted closer to him. "I mean, if he were just your boss, you'd have long left! He's gotta be more than that!"

"Yes," Haku said, feeling violated. "Zabuza-sama is very special to me."

"Exactly! That makes him your friend. Tools don't feel affection. Friends do, okay?" Sakura held his shoulders.

Haku nodded mutely.

"And we don't abandon our friends."

"Y-Yes." Haku answered meekly, his initial cold confidence gone. "That's what I tried to tell you. I won't abandon Zabuza...sama."

"See, now you're admitting he's your friend," Sakura grinned.

Haku bit his tongue, cursing his slip...but she did have a point. "I see your point, Sakura. In order to accept him as my Master, I must first see him as my friend."

"I bet Zabuza feels the same about you," Sakura nodded, and slapped Sasuke's shoulder. "If he doesn't show it, he's just acting like Sasuke, not understanding his feelings. Hell, not even you did!"

That caused Haku to blush, and Naruto laughed, "Wow Saku-chan! You're smart!"

Sasuke slapped Sakura's hand off him. "Back to point. We've established that you won't be abandoning your 'friend Zabuza' anytime soon, which means it will be inevitable for us to fight," he frowned. "Is there no other way?"

Haku hesitated. He'd grown attached to these three. He shook his head. "Unless you abandon your mission, or surrender...Tazuna."

"No way in hell are we letting that old fisherman die!" Naruto exclaimed. "If you want money you should just ask the Hokage! Sandaime-jiji gives me when I ask!"

Sakura smacked his head. "Idiot! The Hokage only gives you money because you're a..." her eyes suddenly flashed. "You're a genius!"

Sakura rounded on Haku with an evil glint in her green eyes, "You're going to join Konoha! I'm not asking."

"H-Huh?!" For once, Haku expressed blatant emotion, his jaw dropped.

"Think about it. Konoha is the richest village in all the nations, and the strongest too! Plus you're already a missing-nin, right? No one will care if you ditch their village and join mine!"

**Uhh Forehead, I don't think that's how it works.**

_Shut up Inner!_

Sasuke smirked at the show of reaction. "The annoyance is right. If you need money, join Konoha as a ninja and take on S-rank missions. I guarantee you'll be paid more than whatever he's," Sasuke made a gesture at the wall in reference to Gato, "is paying you."

Naruto's mind blanked, absorbing the information. Then he understood, it was just like using the Tora mission to earn money. "You can do them over and over again!"

"Gato's just a one-shot mission." Sakura agreed, "so, are you joining?"

"..." It did sound like a wise offer, but they were dumb kids with no sway...But Konoha's Hokage was much more benevolent than Kiri's Mizukage and the 3rd held no approval for their methords...Haku smiled. "Thank you. I'll have to consult with Zabuza-sama first._ If_ any of it is possible."

Sakura sighed. "Then let's go convince our Sensei."

"OI! WHY ISN'T SENSEI AWAKE?" Naruto shook Kakashi rapidly, but he remained asleep.

"Zabuza looks to be in the same condition," Sasuke commented.

Haku sweatdropped.

* * *

仁爱

* * *

**Author Note:** Sorry it took so long. I had to decide what would happen if Sakura had Obito's ideals; what would Obito do in this situation?

I think I'll start up my daily updates again! I'll be updating early tomorrow! Thanks for waiting and reviewing!


	43. Greed

贪心

* * *

"WHAT?!" Gato roared at his messenger, crushing his cigarette in half. "Zabuza was taken hostage by the Leaf Shinobi?! I knew he was useless baggage to begin with! I was right to schedule his death after he's worn out, who'd have thought the matter was taken off my hands because he was so weak!?"

The minion shrugged. "His apprentice has infiltrated the enemy stronghold by posing as as a Hunter shinobi."

"'Enemy stronghold'? Don't give me that crap! It's just an old bridge builder with his little family and a tiny number of bodyguards! Now shut your trap and let me plan!"

* * *

贪心

* * *

Haku was escorting Tazuna to the bridge. _Who'd have thought I would be in this position? _

A little kid tried to mug him, and he almost killed the child by reflex, but Haku's eyes softened. He handed the child the last of his ration bar.

"Thanks nice lady!" The kid grinned, shivering under the rags he wore. Haku pulled out a spare yukata and gave it to the child, who thanked him profusely before running off.

_It will only last him a few days before he's penniless and hungry again.  
_

"You know," Tazuna drawled, "he's not any different from any other child in this country.

"This is how it's been since Gato came here. The children suffer, and the adults are afraid to stand up to them. They've lost all hope. That's why we have to finish the bridge. It will bring commerce and trade. But much more importantly that bridge is the symbol of courage. We must restore the spirit of our people."

Haku closed his eyes. _But my loyalty to my Master is greater; my personal opinions don't matter. It's for Zabuza-sama to decide. _"There's no need to tell me. It won't change anything; I already know _firsthand_ the kind of man Gato is."

"Hahaha," Tazuna laughed awkwardly, "You sure you're on our side?"

_I don't know yet_. "Yes. I'm sure."

"Really? Then ain't it great that I'm saving 'em all?!" Tazuna puffed his chest in pride.

Haku smiled, "Yes, it's very noble of you to have people to protect."

They entered the bridge and got to construction work. Haku even helped a bit.

* * *

贪心

* * *

Sakura frowned, sitting beside Kakashi...She placed her hand over his forehead and ran a chakra diagnosis. _Whoa_, her eyes widened, _he's got all these sleeper cells activated! No wonder he won't wake up! B-But how? _

**HAKU, THAT'S HOW! I KNEW HE WAS A TRAITOR-  
**

_Oi Inner, we already knew that, he confessed so himself. Which means he didn't know he was going to join our side, that's why he did this.  
_

**In that case he's just too shy to say what he did! Let's tell him to undo his jutsu and wake Sensei up!  
**

_Wait! Let me try it myself. I'm sure all those lessons Obito-kun made me learn will come to use.  
_

Sakura's palm started glowing with chakra as she retracted the sleep receptors. Half an hour later, Kakashi blinked groggily awake.

"Hmm?" he reached for his face, and relaxed when he felt his mask.

**Damn I should've looked when I had the chance!**

He sat up, glancing around. "Sakura, what happened?"

Sakura sighed and explained everything with a flair of positivity and optimism, dreams and hopes and a few words about being the Hokage.

* * *

贪心

* * *

After a long day's construction work at the bridge, Tazuna and Haku walked home.

"You wanna eat tonight, don't cha?" Tazuna asked as they walked through the run-down town. "I gotta pick up some things for dinner."

Haku followed, looking at adults carrying posters seeking work and children in rags sitting mindlessly on the streets.

_It's almost as bad as the Bloody Mist._

"Here we are." Tazuna entered the store and Haku heard the cashier squeak out a 'welcome.'

He counted three carrots, a cabbage, two tomatoes, and a piece of celery on the shelf. _This is a supermarket?_

It was different from markets in Kirigakure, which consisted of unlimited fruits and vegetables and meat, only to be vastly overpriced and reserved for the wealthy shinobi of Mizukage Yagura's council.

Feeling stranger hands on his ninja pouch, he shot a senbon into the perpetrator's wrist.

"OWWW!" A bald man flinched and tried to pull the needle out.

"I apologize," Haku flinched, grabbing the man's palm. "You're only making it worse," he explained as he tugged the needle out carefully. Then, he stroked his thumb over the man's wrist and closed the wound with medical ninjutsu.

Tazuna watched, impressed. "Ninja are on a whole other league."

Haku blushed, not wanting to stay behind any longer. He'd seen enough. "Let's just go."

* * *

贪心

* * *

"What is it, dobe?"

"TEME! I'mma teach you to tree-walk! Like this!" Naruto ran to the top of the tree and flailed.

Sasuke shook in jealousy. "Alright, teach me, and you'd better not mess around with me."

"Nu-uh!" Naruto stuck his tongue out. "I won't teach ya 'til ya call me Senpai!"

...Sasuke bristled. "Oh you'll pay for that, usuratonkachi."

Naruto grinned, accepting the challenge. "Bring it on!"

* * *

贪心

* * *

"Hold on, that's your reasoning for Konoha to take _Zabuza_ and_ Haku_ in?"

Sakura rubbed the back of her head, "What? Is something wrong with my logical reasoning?"

"You're a complete idiot."_ Just like Obito._

She growled. "Oi Sensei! Then how about this. If we don't take them in, they'll keep working for criminals like Gato for money instead of good causes."

Kakashi sighed. "We'll take this to the Hokage. It's never been done, we'll have to create an immersion program...and if it comes to it, Zabuza will need a new identity." He looked at the sleeping body of the man who terrorized them earlier. "That is_ only_ if this man is mentally stable, which I doubt."

"Then you'd better hope he's sane." Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Also, he's not going to wake up for a few days. I can speed it up, though."

Kakashi stared at her. "We'll have to convince this_ man_ as well. Help me tie him up. We'll wake Zabuza up when we have him cornered, surrounded, with all of us here."

Sakura gulped. _That's like refusing Zabuza a choice in the matter. _**Who cares?! It's the best thing that could happen to a missing-nin! SHANNARO!**

* * *

贪心

* * *

"Why are you two working so hard?!" Inari shouted at the two boys who were roughhousing each other while tree-walking. Eventually, they had worn themselves out, and collapsed into the grass.

Inari approached the ninja, and looked over them. "Gato's just gonna kill you both!"

"Kid, mind your own damn business." Sasuke death glared the kid, and Inari stepped back in fear, falling onto his butt.

"D-Don't-" Naruto started coughing out his dry throat, "don't be so mean to Inari! He's worried about us!" Naruto tried to smile through his exhaustion.

"Y-Yeah!" Inari regained his confidence thanks to Naruto. "I just don't want you to die!"

Sasuke smirked. "In that case, give up. We won't die before accomplishing our goals, and this Gato you speak of with such esteem can f**ck himself."

Inari and Naruto gasped, but then Naruto broke out into a grin, "Believe it!"

"H-How can you say that?" Inari's eyes welled with tears.

Naruto pushed himself up and placed his hand on the child's shoulder. "A true hero takes things into his own hands instead of waiting around crying."

"My father...my mother..." Sasuke hesitated, looking at Inari's wide innocent eyes, reminding him so much of his ignorant self. "My family, my entire clan...they were all killed by one person: my older brother."

Inari's expression twisted into shock.

"I was the same age as you, but I didn't cry. I didn't sit back and take it up my ass. I gave myself a goal to accomplish, to kill that man." Sasuke's voice held silent anger. "I'm doing this for revenge."

Inari resolved himself, newly inspired. "You're right! Gato killed my dad, so I gotta get revenge!"

"Oi oi!" Naruto shook Inari's shoulders. "That's a stupid reason- Fight for your people, not because you're mad!" _If I didn't do this, I'd be fighting against Konoha instead of fighting for them._

Sasuke sighed. "Two birds, one stone, Naruto."

Naruto pulled back. "Right, you can do both, right kid? Revenge plus helping hand?"

Inari blinked in confusion. "Uhh. I kill Gato so I get both revenge for my dad and help for my people?"

"That's correct," Sasuke assured him.

Naruto sweatdropped. _Why is Sasuke encouraging a 4-year old to kill an old man?! Normally I'd approve of this but- I'm not stupid! _"Oi Inari! If you're fighting for your village, you gotta get them backing you up or there's no point!"

Inari nodded. "Uhh okay. I'll go recruit my troops to fight Gato!"

Inari ran off, and the rivals looked at each other not knowing what to think.

* * *

贪心


	44. Negotiation

谈判

* * *

Zabuza was starting to come back to his senses. Everything was blurry, until he saw colors of orange, blue, green, red, pink?

_WHOA_! Zabuza's eyes widened as he snapped awake, trying to struggle in those ropes he was tied in._Kirigakure Academies never taught us the E-Rank Rope Escape Technique, just got us straight to the good stuff of assassination_. Zabuza's eyes narrowed suspiciously. _Chakra suppressors, eh? Clever…H-HAKU?!_

Haku pressed a wet cloth to Zabuza's forehead, but he shook his head and glared.

"What's it with you? All of you."

Haku, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi were seated around a restrained Zabuza, who's arms were tied behind his back and his mouth gagged, in the corner of the room.

"Um, why is Zabuza-sama gagged?" Haku asked.

"You're right," Kakashi's eye curled with mirth as he pulled the gag off Zabuza's mouth. _Just a little punishment for all that trouble you caused us earlier_.

"YOU LITTLE TRAITOR!" Zabuza's eyes budged out at Haku, but his hand on Zabuza's forehead glowed green with iryo-ninjutsu and Zabuza calmed down.

_Tranquillizer receptors?_ Sakura watched with fascination. _I have to ask Haku to teach me! Cha! I'll force him if it comes down to it! He has the practical experience that Obito-kun's scrolls will never give me!_

"Zabuza-sama, please listen to them." He made a twirling motion to his temple and mouthed 'crazy Leaf shinobi proposal.'

Zabuza caught the message, stopped struggling, and smirked in amusement. _Konoha has a reputation for being fucked up, to the point of being eager to sacrifice an entire army just to save a couple hostages. Let's see what 'proposal' their stupidity brings me._ "I'll hear you out."

"Thank you," Sakura sighed. "Sensei?"

"Your little student told us everything." Kakashi started, "Including why you're working for Gato."

_I'll have to punish Haku for this later_. Zabuza nodded, "I'll vouch for Haku's word. Go on."

"A connection based on money makes the loyalty flimsily at best. Bounty hunters have the habit of abandoning their employers to work for wealthier ones." Kakashi crossed his arms, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Hmmm…Now who would be the wealthiest employer in the world?"

Zabuza's jaw dropped with realization. "…The Hidden Leaf Village."

Kakashi's eye curled. "You in?"

….

….

"How much are we talking here?" Zabuza played along, "Gato's offering me 10000 ryo for the bridge builder's head."_ He's actually paying 5000, but I'm upping the value_.

Kakashi tilted his head. "Well…that amount averages to an A-rank."_ The client tends to pay 90 thousand ryo and the shinobi only receives 10 thousand of the revenue, the rest goes to Konoha as taxes. But I won't be revealing that information_.

Zabuza looked unconvinced. "You're saying I have to do an A-rank mission to earn the same money I can gain by easily cutting the bridge builder's head?"

Kakashi smiled.

"Don't be so full of yourself," Sasuke interrupted. "What would you, _an outsider_, know about the difficulty of _my village_'s missions?"

"Why you—"

"He's right, you know!" Sakura got into lecture mode, "An 'A-rank' mission in the Hidden Mist can be on a whole other level than an A-rank in the Leaf, much harder actually! Further, S-ranks can range from 1 ryo to one trillion, depending on the client. The Hidden Leaf takes in the most clients out of all the Elemental Nations, giving the Leaf shinobi a variety of selections, so ninja can choose a mission more suited to their tastes and avoid the missions that make them sick to their stomach! They also do more missions and earn more money than a bounty hunter could ever dream of."

"Wow…" Naruto stared at Sakura in amazement. _Sakura-chan's so smart_.

"Nerd." Sasuke smirked, eyes closed in acceptance of the fact that she can be incredibly stupid like Naruto for one moment and a walking dictionary the next.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

"Easy there, Sakura," Kakashi reached over and ruffled her hair, earning a displeased grunt from the pinkette as she tried to comb her strands back into place.

"So Zabuza-san," Kakashi pulled out a kunai, and Zabuza gulped. "I think there's only one answer."

"I have my pride as a nuke-nin," Zabuza said, as Kakashi's kunai came closer and closer to his neck. "But I'm not blind enough to pass up this offer." To his absolute relief, the kunai dug down into the ropes and sliced them off. With quick handiwork, Zabuza was completely free.

He stood up and stretched, reaching behind himself and grasping at nothing. "Where the fuck's my sword?"

Kakashi and Sakura shared a look,

Naruto and Sasuke shared a look,

Haku slid on his mask. _Uh-oh. I forgot to retrieve it after the fight. If I'm lucky, it might still be there._

"Excuse me," Haku bowed, before walking out the room as inconspicuously as he can.

As he walked into the living room, a blade pierced through the wall from the outside and sliced it down. Through the opening, emerged two rough-looking mercenaries.

"So you're Tazuna's daughter, ah?" the burglary one accused as he spotted Haku. "You'll have to come with us now!"

The other mercenary moved in to grab him, but Haku waved his sleeves and twenty senbon shot out, piercing them in their chests and legs.

"Argh!" they gasped out as they hit the floor, bleeding.

"What happened?! Is Inari okay?" Tazuna's _real_ daughter ran into the room, then shrieked at the sight of the two men. "AAAAH!"

Team Seven and Zabuza charged into the living room to see the commotion.

"Gato's men," Zabuza identified. "And I thought you were soft."

Haku slumped. "I apologize, Zabuza."

"No, you need to toughen up," he insisted, before looking to Kakashi. "I take it you will get in trouble with your village if you go after Gato, am I wrong?"

Kakashi frowned. "That's right. Our mission was to protect Tazuna, not attack Gato unprovoked."

"Politics." Zabuza snorted. "I have a feeling I'll start missing my life as a missing-nin."

Haku smiled. "Then we might as well enjoy it while we can, right, Zabuza-sama?"

Zabuza grinned manically. "Indeed. We've already got our hands stained with blood, what's one more before we officially join your village?"

"Well, that's true," Kakashi allowed. "We won't punish you for killing Gato if you do it before becoming a Konoha shinobi."

With that, Zabuza and Haku vanished.

"S-Sensei!" Sakura shouted indignantly. _What's with him searching for loopholes in the ninja system?!_** SHANNARO! He's messed up! When I become Hokage, there's going to be some major rehauls!**

"How could you talk about killing so easily?" Naruto protested. For all he knew, Gato could be an innocent man.

"Tch." Sasuke closed his eyes. He resisted the urge to tear Naruto down for being so ignorant. _I'm after Itachi. What would you think about me killing him for revenge?_ "Didn't you forget, dobe? We encouraged Inari to go after this Gato."

"You what?" Kakashi whirled onto his Uchiha student, anger evident.

Sasuke opened his eyes, meeting Kakashi's furious gaze evenly. "That was before we knew who this man truly is."

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?" Kakashi sighed, waving them to follow him out. "Come on Sakura. Thanks to Sasuke's and Naruto's _meddling_, we now have to save the smaller kid."

"W-Wait!" Tsunami held out a hand. "I'm coming with you! It's my son!"

Kakashi sighed deeper. "I guess there's nothing that can stop a mother's wrath." He thought of Minato-sensei's pregnant wife, the Red Hot Habanero….back when they were still alive. Crushing that tinge of nostalgia, because he can reminisce about it later at the Memorial Stone, Kakashi added, "As you wish, but don't count on us to protect you. We were only obligated to the bridge builder."

"Sensei!" Sakura protested. "If that's the case, why did we continue on with this mission? We went further than necessary, and there's no reason to stop now!"

"Yeah! We gotta Tsunami-chan and at the same time rescue Inari!" Naruto fist-pumped the air, before running off into the distance. "Let's go! Dattebayo!"

Sakura and Sasuke gave chase, and Kakashi rubbed his temples.

"I swear…"

* * *

谈判


	45. Konoha's Wealth

冷季

* * *

When they reached Gato's hideout, Sakura looked around. The place was filthy rich, with massive buildings and hotels. It was unhygienic, with trash on the floors and graffiti on the walls, but still impressive, like a giant fortress!

"Come on Sakura-chan! That way!" Naruto pointed to the biggest building of the lot, and marched towards it.

Sasuke smirked. "I must be losing my touch, to be trusting the dobe's directions."

Sakura stepped over a corpse as she walked the road. The foul smell worsened as she passed more and more dead bodies with distance.

Naruto's face was already green, and Sasuke didn't show it, but he was sick to his stomach.

Strangely, Sakura was immune to the chopped up body pieces scattered over the streets.

Either she had guts…or a certain _someone _put her through worse training.

Sakura glanced at the two boys, noting that she was the one leading the way now. "What?"

Sasuke frowned. "You don't look fazed."

"Um….ewww!" She attempted awkwardly, then chuckled a little, rubbing the back of her head. "Don't tell me. I'm no good at this."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really, Sakura, really?"

"Hey, it really is disgusting!" Sakura showed them her back as she kept walking, pulling her orange goggles on.

Naruto puked somewhere along the way.

* * *

冷季

* * *

"Walk faster," Kakashi ordered; he wanted to catch up to his team. _Who knows what trouble they might stir up without me to keep an eye on them? _Kakashi shuddered to even think about it.

"I—I can't." Tsunami heaved out, trying to run as fast as she could. _How's it possible for my __running__ to match the same speed as his __walking__?!_

"Tch. Civillians." He sneered behind his mask. Ninjas had the advantage to speed themselves up with chakra augmentation. Physically walking naturally, with added chakra control, could make a ninja travel at paces faster than a civilian Olympian runner.

_But the thing is, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto shouldn't know how to do that. I didn't teach them the tree-climbing exercise yet, so they don't have the chakra-control for agile speeds. I can easily catch up to them if I didn't have a civilian slowing me down. _Kakashi shot Tsunami a disdainful glance. _This woman is keeping me from my team. _

_Regardless, we're running at desperate civilian speed, so we should be catching up to my team. Why are they nowhere in sight? _

Kakashi halted.

_Could it be? _

_They're walking, or running, at ninja speed? _

It was the only explanation of why he wasn't catching up.

_They don't teach tree-walking at the Academy…But with Sakura on the team, I shouldn't be surprised. _

He chuckled, as Tsunami skidded to a stop beside him. "Sir?"

_I guess karma is repaying you for everything it's wronged you with, Obito; a loser in the past life, a prodigy in the next. _

"Tsunami," Kakashi's eye curled in mirth, "You're moving too slow."

"I know already, as you've been repeating that for the past ten—Aah!" Tsunami yelped as Kakashi lifted her off her feet, and dashed off at ninja speeds.

_Team 7, I'm catching up. _

"AAAAAAHHH!" Tsunami screamed, riding this crazy ninja's back at 100mph!

_…That's right, you better run._

* * *

冷季

* * *

"What in the world…" Sakura dropped her kunai, as she took in the gruesome sight of Zabuza spinning Gato's head on his finger like a basketball.

"Someone had to do it," Zabuza smirked behind his bandages, "These countrymen may act like big-shots, but they're no ninja. They don't have the will to kill."

Haku materialized. "It's done, Zabuza-sama. I killed off all the mercenaries…but not by myself." Behind him, Inari peered around Haku's legs, his hands still clutching at Haku's robe. "It was Inari who gathered an army of these countrymen to fight in the first place, providing a sufficient distraction for me to work undercover, and to catch every one of Gato's mercenaries off guard."

And with that, Haku rebuked Zabuza, "They might not have intended to kill anyone, but they fought bravely. I wouldn't underestimate any one of Wave's citizens if I were you, Zabuza-sama."

"Very well." Zabuza leaned back on the luxurious couch Gato had been sitting on just minutes ago. "Who wants the head? No, don't get your hopes up, I won't give it to any of you." Zabuza laughed. "Funny story, Haku. It sells for 25000 ryo to bounty collectors."

Haku smiled. "That's even more than Gato was willing to pay."

"Um, we're still here." Sakura called out.

Inari released Haku and ran towards Sakura, hugging her and sobbing into her clothes.

"Shh, it's alright," Sakura crouched down and held Inari close, stroking the boy's hair. "You were very brave."

Naruto threw up the remaining bile from last night's dinner, and this time, Sasuke joined him.

* * *

冷季

* * *

When Kakashi arrived, he didn't expect to see a festival with the entire town. Children were running around with food and wallets in their hands and intently ignoring the dead bodies at their feet.

Adults were singing and drinking beer, or fish soup. _  
_

There was music playing in the background, and everyone was cheering in general.

If he ignored the stink, he could almost think he'd entered the aftermath party of a successfully conquered nation.

Which it kinda was.

Tsunami fell off his back, to the floor. She whirled around, dizzy. "Whoaaa. Why's everyone…" Just as she was about to bang her head to the floor, someone caught her.

It was Tazuna.

"Gahahah, I'm just as surprised as you are," the bridge builder explained. "I was building my bridge with my crew, and then Matsumi came to deliver the news…Our little Inari led the entire town to fight Gato! And we won! Gahahah!"

"What?!" Tsunami looked furious. "Don't act so proud—"

"I'm not proud! Inari saved my life! Gato's army was just about to attack me and my crew at the bridge and kill us all! If Inari didn't gather everyone to stop them before they departed, I would have died along with my bridge! I'm more than proud!"

"F-Father…" Tsunami slumped. "You're right, it's amazing. Gato's really gone." She trembled, dropping to her knees, and cried tears of relief. "I-Inari's safe."

Kakashi blinked, and ignored her theatrics. "Hold on. Did you hear any news of Zabuza and my genin team?"

Tazuna shook his head. "No, my countrymen did all the work."

_Yeaaah, go ahead and claim all the credit_. Somehow, Kakashi wasn't surprised.

* * *

冷季


	46. Duped 受骗

秘密

* * *

Not only did Wave's countrymen claim Gato's wealth for themselves, but they also took over his shipping industry, installing Tazuna as their CEO.

"Ahahaah, me?" Tazuna had laughed. "I still got the bridge to build!" But he took the position and purged all illegal dealings, replacing them with businesses that could benefit the Country.

Further, it wasn't just the crew that worked on the bridge. _Everyone_ contributed; the kids bought food to the bridge, the women delivered the heavy metal, the men did the hard labor. Others donated their earnings from their new jobs at Tazuna's shipping industry.

Wave was finally connecting themselves to the outside world.

It was a victory achieved by blood, sweat, and tears, all on their own. On the surface, at least. Behind the scenes, it was the ninja made this possible; a few townsmen couldn't have defeated Gato's vast army by themselves. Haku was the one who paralyzed them with needles, allowing the countrymen to get the last hit in.

Tazuna knew this, having witnessed the battle between Zabuza and Team Seven.

* * *

秘密

* * *

"…Finally! The bridge is finished, now all it needs a name…A super Great name!" Tazuna laughed with the small crowd gathering around it for a celebration. "I'd name it 'The Great Inari Bridge' for my grandson, but..." _The least I can do is honor the shinobi for their help, since they're not getting any credit for it. _

"I know, gramps." Inari blushed. "Sasuke-san was the one who told me to get revenge."

Sasuke snorted. "If you even think about naming it 'The Great Sasuke Bridge,' I'll kill you."

Tazuna swallowed. _He might actually do it._

"How 'bout The Super Great Hokage Naruto Bridge!" Naruto jumped.

"Hell no!" Sakura whapped his head. "Who names a bridge after a ramen topping? At least have the style of naming it after cherry blossoms!" **SHANNARO. The Great Sakura Bridge beats NARUTO! **

Kakashi outright laughed, "Hahaahaah, no. Both of you have the worst names for a bridge. If you want it named after one of us, The Great Kakashi Bridge will suffice."

"As if yours is any better..." Sakura drawled. "It means 'Scarecrow.'" Suddenly Sakura froze, and pointed at his face, "Your name's Kakashi!"

"So you mean you didn't know?" Kakashi's eye widened as Sakura's cheeks started to tint pink, matching her hair. "After all that time we've spent together, you had no idea what my _name_ was, until now. I'm insulted, Sakura-_chan_."

"O-Oi! You never told us!" Sakura stammered, blushing beet red. "You had us all introduce ourselves when we first met, but you said you wouldn't tell us your name because we'd fail, hmph!" She crossed her arms sternly.

"Well, we clearly passed," Sasuke decided to join in, siding with Sakura. "A little late, are we, 'Sensei'?"

Kakashi sweatdropped. _So that's why they always called me 'Sensei' rather than 'Kakashi-sensei.' _

"Even the 'annoyance' here told me her name upfront," _I think._ Sasuke smirked as she landed her embarrassed gaze on him. _She's just as amusing as Naruto._

"Y-Yeah!" Sakura bit her cheek. "Your name's worst than both of ours! It's unappealing!"

Kakashi's eye curled. "You sure you want to be saying that, Sakura-chan? We're just about to return home...for make-up training sessions."

Sakura gulped, backing away. **BRING IT ON, SENSEI! **

"Hn." Sasuke harrumphed, knowing their topic of interest was bound to return to him. _I have the least-embarrassing name out of all of them, idiots. But I refuse to have a giant bridge with my name on it, that's Naruto's style. _He closed his eyes. "The Team Seven Bridge. Throw a 'Great' in, if you want to."

"Hmph, teme's right!"

"Heheheh. I can't wait to brag to Ino-pig!"

"Perfect. It involves all of us," Kakashi concurred, ruffling Sasuke's hair. "Good job, Sasuke-kun."

"Don't touch me." Sasuke knocked his sensei's hand off.

"Jeez," Kakashi sweatdropped. _Reclusive...Not that I'm surprised, given your history..._

"It's settled then," Tazuna concluded, giving a thumbs up. "The Great Team Seven Bridge! Sounds official too." _Thankfully better than forcing me to combine all their names together to reach a compromise. _

Inari grinned, watching the ninjas. They were arguing, but they looked like they were having fun too. Tears started to well up in his eyes. _They're leaving..._Inari didn't want them to leave, but he also didn't want to cry.

Sakura noticed and outright said, "It's okay to cry, Inari."

Inari blushed at being caught. "Shuddup! I already cried before!"

"That was for a different reason, and you did really great!" Sakura answered, rubbing the back of her head. _Eheheh, awkward._

Naruto's lip started quivering. "Y-Yeah, Inari, I'm sad too, but for happy reasons! S-So cry, dattebayo!"

"N-Not until you cry first," Inari said.

"Honestly," Sakura wiped her tears before they fell out, and walked up to Inari and Naruto. She bonked both their heads, and they burst out crying. "There, see, was that so hard?"

"Uhh, Sakura," Kakashi sweatdropped, "I don't think they're crying out of happiness anymore."

* * *

秘密

* * *

~The Walk Home To Konoha~

"SENSEI!" Naruto yelled, realizing Sakura had a point. They knew next to nothing about their sensei, yet Kakashi knew a lot about them. "Introduce yourself, dattebayo!"

Kakashi tilted his head skyward, walking on. "I can't believe this..."

Of course they were going to talk, Konoha was still a long way home. What better time than to answer unresolved questions?

"Likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams for the future," Sakura said cheekily, holding her hands behind her back.

Kakashi sighed. "I'm Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate, I don't feel like telling you that-"

"You like my goggles," Sakura said, tilting her head.

Kakashi's eye twitched. "For your information, I don't like your goggles. They're just...eye-catching." _Now that I have a closer look, they're identical to the ones Obito used to wear. I'll have to ask you where you got them when we're alone._

"And your Sharingan." Sasuke added solemnly. "It's a dojutsu only manifested within a select few members from my clan. A kekkei genkai." Under normal circumstances, Sasuke wouldn't have dared to ask out of curiosity. But Kakashi hadn't done the bell test, and hadn't intimidated his team enough. And so, Sasuke had no qualms sending subtle accusations at his teacher. "How did you get it?" Sasuke's tone held a tinge of hostility. _Did you steal it?_

_It's from Obito._ "It's not your place to question your Sensei, Sasuke-kun." Kakashi gazed straight at Sasuke, who held his ground. "Not when my Sharingan has saved you multiple times."

"S-Sensei," Sakura grabbed Sasuke's shoulder. She looked at Kakashi through her goggles with determined eyes. "Sasuke's just asking out of curiosity...Kakashi."

At the lack of honorific, coupled with the way she said his name...Kakashi was suddenly reminded of when Obito was determined to rescue Rin. Their tones matched, and their eyes...and for a moment, she wasn't Sakura. _Obito?_

"_I am Obito Uchiha and I will surpass you once I awaken my Sharingan!_"

He blinked and the illusion vanished, but he couldn't shake the feeling off. His lazy tone turned nostalgic.

"...It's personal...I'll tell you, but not because you're my student, or even the last Uchiha," Kakashi's eyes took on a far-away look. "but_ as a team_."

Sakura held her breath, suddenly uneasy regarding this talk about Sharingan. She had jars of them stored up in her labs. "I-I..." She turned her head away, "I'm okay not knowing, it's personal, right? You don't have to tell us, eheeheh," she sheepishly rubbed the back of her head, faking a grin.

"My old teammate gave it to me as my jounin promotion present," Kakashi smiled behind his mask, his eyes curling into n's. "And then, he died."

Sasuke and Sakura's eyes widened, and Naruto's jaw dropped.

Naruto frowned, unable to imagine what it would be like if Sakura-chan died, or even Sasuke-teme. He looked at Kakashi with sympathetic eyes.

Sakura, however, stubbornly looked away, and Sasuke had his head turned the other direction, as if avoiding the subject.

"But I'm lucky to have others to fill in the void he left," Kakashi said, looking at Sakura. Then at Naruto and Sasuke. "That _they_ left. The past remains the past. We're Team Seven now, the present."

Sasuke suddenly fell to his knees, and clenched his head. "ARGH!" _This pain._ _These memories. I-Itachi. _

"Sasuke!" They stopped walking and crouched down around him. Sakura held a hand to his forehead, "Are you alright?" Suddenly, she moved her hand from his head to his back, and pulled him into a tight hug. _Kakashi-sensei's words reminded Sasuke of his dead clan!__  
_

Kakashi narrowed his eyes._ Are you willing to let go of the past, and accept us as your family, Sasuke?_

"What's wrong, teme?" Naruto asked, the only one confused. "I mean it's great that we're a fam...team!"

"Family." Kakashi insisted. "We're a family."

Naruto felt his eyes get wet, and he rubbed them. "F-Family?" He always wanted one..._does this really count?_ Naruto looked at Sasuke. "OI TEME! We're a family now, got it!?"

Sakura squeezed Sasuke, hugging him a bit too desperately. A bone cracked.

"NGGGGHK!" Sasuke tried to shove her off,

"Ugh, hey!" She moved her hand to his back and tried to heal his cracked rib. "Ummm...Oops."

Sasuke leveled her with a glare. "Some 'family' you are."

Sakura grinned.

_Does this mean he's accepting us?_ Kakashi gripped Sasuke's arm, heaving him up. _I'm making progress with the boy._

"Don't touch me, Sensei."

_Or not._

Naruto had a stupid grin on his face as he entwined his fingers behind his head. "Yep! Sakura-chan's like a scary mom!" There was no moment he appreciated his team more than he did now. "I mean if we're a family I think we should all live together, dattebayo!"

"Hn." Sasuke neither denied nor accepted it.

Kakashi sweatdropped. _Leave it to Naruto to take the idea to the extremes. _

Sakura faked a smile. _I have a mom and dad at home, but recently...or more like, for five years, they've been acting like robots. They never look directly at me...it's like I'm a stranger to them, a roommate. _She frowned mildly. _I feel closer to my team than my own family. This is...sad. _

But that was how Sakura managed to get away with disappearing for full nights, or weeks, by a genjutsu cast by Obito's Mangekyou Sharingan to trick her parents. Not that she knew.

"Yeah..." Sakura said quietly, seriously considering it. "I'd like that."

It was unintentional, but that was the exact phrase Obito used when Sakura offered them to be friends.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Whatever goes, I guess." His eye curled and he ruffled Sakura and Naruto's hair.

"K-K-Kashi!" Sakura ducked away and Naruto laughed at her antics.

Sasuke snorted. "Idiots."

"And you're one of us," Sakura giggled, only to get an idea out of nowhere. "Hey, let's race to Konoha!"

"Is that a challenge?"

"TEME! IT SURE IS! I'MMA BEAT YOU! AND SAKU-CHAN TOO!" Naruto ran ahead of the group.

"H-Hey! Kakashi didn't say 'start' yet! NARUUUTO!" She gave chase, and Kakashi wondered how he was pulled in.

"Tch."_ I need to test my speed against those two_. Sasuke pushed a decent amount of chakra to the soles of his feet, and burst into a run.

.

Three smoke clouds remained in their former spots, leaving a baffled Kakashi. _Whoa, so fast! They can use chakra after all... _And then he realized... __They ditched me!__

* * *

秘密

* * *

Haku and Zabuza were making their way to Konoha.

"Was it really a good idea to walk ahead of Kakashi's team?" Haku asked, "They're supposed to escort us into Konoha so that we don't send the Leaf shinobi the wrong message."

Zabuza glanced at his apprentice. "Haku, with your perceptive eyes, you should have noticed that the three brats had something to settle with their Sensei. Least we could do is give them their personal space."_ It's for the best. That Copy-nin grates my nerves, I can't guarantee myself not to kill him. _

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA," three things zoomed past them, leaving behind a dust-cloud that sent Haku and Zabuza into coughing fits.

"What was that?" Zabuza growled.

"Hey, that's Kakashi," Haku pointed behind them.

He was right, Kakashi was getting closer and closer, as if chasing something.

"He seems out of his mind. If we stall, they will abandon us at the gates." Haku warned, before bursting into a run, followed by Zabuza.

"Heh. I am curious as to how fast I am compared to the Copy-Nin," the Demon of the Mist growled, leaving craters behind every step.

* * *

秘密

* * *

The Konoha gate guards were getting sleepy. Kotetsu yawned first, inducing Izumo to yawn.

Suddenly, six figures popped into their faces as if an explosive tag was set off.

"AAAH!" Kotetsu banged his head on the roof. "OW!"

"Umm, welcome back!" Izumo said, coming back to his senses faster than his partner. "Team 7, eh? Who's these visitors?"

"Zabuza and Haku," Kakashi answered. "They're our allies. I sent a message through Pakkun, but we probably rushed past him on our way here." Shinobi were faster travellers than summons.

"U-Uh, seriously?" Izumo pulled a pen out, and gestured to the clipboard. "Sign here."

"Easy, easy," Kotetsu said to Zabuza. "Should I escort you to the Sandaime?"

Zabuza leaked killing intent and Kotetsu backed off. "Eep! Kakashi-senpai, you got this, right? You're reporting in, right? KAKASHI?!"

Kakashi was gone, along with Team 7.

"So..." Haku walked from behind Zabuza. "Would you mind escorting us to the Hokage?"

* * *

秘密

* * *

"I thought we were supposed to report in for mission accomplished right away," Sakura pointed out, picking at her dango-mixed ramen.

"Let's just say I'm high on the food-chain," Kakashi chuckled.

Sasuke bit into his fruit, again letting his ramen go cold.

"I visit the Old Man as much as I can," Naruto exclaimed, "I don't get why you'd be avoiding him!"

"Naruto...after all the rules we broke...Hmm, you know what, that might not be so bad." Kakashi reached over and ruffled his hair. "Who knows? You might lessen the intensity of his punishment for the rest of us."

Teuchi spluttered. Working fast, he placed another bowl of ramen in front of Naruto. "On the house!" He quipped.

Kakashi shot a exasperated look at the ramen chef.

_You're all in this together._ Teuchi's eyes answered. He coughed.

Minutes passed, and Teuchi's daughter Ayame showed up with Iruka-sensei.

"Naruto! You're back!" Iruka's eyes bulged out and he ran towards Naruto, patting him up and down. His nose twitched. _Blood?! This smell! Oh god what happened?!_ "Kakashi." He glared at the silver-haired nin.

Kakashi ignored him.

"Now, now," Ayame pat Iruka on the back. "We can hear all about Naruto's mission over ramen."

At this, Kakashi stood up. "On second thought, I think we should report to the Hokage. Don't you think, Team?"

Naruto groaned. "And Iruka-sensei just got here!" Naruto grinned, "Oh Iruka-sensei! I'm a hero now, believe it!"

"Really now..." Iruka raised his eyebrows. He stood up, "Hey, I have the right to know what happened. I'll be there when you give your report."

_There's no escaping him, is there?_ Kakashi drooped his eyes. "Oh well. Let's go."

Sakura hopped off her bar stool, nervous. _Maybe we shouldn't have left Zabuza and Haku alone and delayed the inevitable. _

Sasuke snorted. "Who cares?"

"YATTA!" Naruto ran ahead and led the group.

It was time to report in.

* * *

秘密

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi checked the clock, before looking back at Zabuza. "So that's your story?"

_I must be getting senile to be listening to a missing-nin's mission report in place of my own shinobi's. _

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Haku bowed.

"I see..." Sarutobi inhaled the smoke from his pipe. "Neither of you get a free pass."

Sarutobi reached into his drawer and tossed out two headbands. "From this day forward, you are Leaf shinobi."

Zabuza smirked.

Sarutobi rubbed his temples. "I don't care that you're one of Kirigakure's Seven Swordsmen, or that Haku's surpassed you. In Konoha, ranks work differently."

"That is not to say you won't get a high ranking mission, but it comes after you make your way up." Sarutobi sighed slowly. "Starting from genin."

Zabuza sweatdropped. _They tricked us. _

* * *

秘密


	47. Hinata

**Author Note:** Surprise! Longest chapter I've ever written (5k words!) I didn't update for a week so all my feelings were getting cooped up and I had to release it all in one go! Thanks for waiting for me.

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爱情

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Sakura's eyes snapped open as she pushed herself up from her bed. She reached for her drawer and grabbed her goggles, headband, and glasses.

Pulling the headband and goggles over her head the way Ino showed her, she looked down at her pajamas.

_I should get dressed…_

**My red dress was a complete mess! SHANNARO ZABUZA, HAKU! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS! **

Clenching her fists and gritting her teeth, Sakura jumped off the bed and headed for her closet. Throwing the doors open, all she could see was endless red, the same outfit copies hung in a row.

"Grrrrh, you have any idea how cold it was in Wave?!" she started saying aloud. The mist had clung to her bare arms and legs, not to mention the bugs. "I need spare clothes and…" She glanced at the side-mirror. "Obito's goggles make my entire outfit look ridiculous! Damn you Obito!" Out of a random fit of anger, she punched the mirror, and leapt back before the pieces stabbed her.

_Oops. _

Glancing downstairs in hopes that her mom and dad didn't hear the noise and come rushing up, she continued to recollect.

_At least Sasuke and Naruto wear warmer, durable ninja gear, unlike me. _

"I wish I could drag you for a shopping trip, you owe it to me." Sakura mumbled. "…Obito-kun."

A wave of nostalgia shot through her, as she looked out the window. The sun was high up, indicating noon.

It was time for Team Seven to meet up, but as of now Sakura couldn't care less. _They're going to learn water-walking, I already know how.. _She reassured herself.

After that disastrous, but beneficial, mission at Wave, she suddenly missed Obito…

He was her mentor, before Kakashi-sensei, but she's never called him 'Obito-sensei.' It had a nice ring to it, though.

…And her best friend, when she initially had no friends…Not since she antagonized Ino in hopes of winning Sasuke's love.

**We all know how that turned out, **Inner grumbled caustically. **Every girl was your enemy, except that one girl who didn't like Sasuke, and every boy was an idiot. **

_The Hyuuga? _Sakura thought back about the prank she pulled with Naruto and Sasuke on the Hyuuga clan. _I think her name was Hinata. _

**SHANNARO! You're too gloomy to be training! Don't wanna worry Sensei, Naruto, and Sasuke, huh?! Go skip a day and get something to suit your goggles if you don't want to trash them!**

_Duh. There's no way I'm getting rid of H-Hana's…_

Sakura slumped. _What am I doing with my life?_

_I'm supposed to bring them back from the dead… Obito-kun said...he had a method of doing that. But I don't even know his plans… It's been so many years since I've last seen him. _

**What if he was just my imagination? **

Sakura's mouth opened, fingers flying through the strands of her pink hair, _Nono no! Don't think that! I'm not insane! I—I like—a real person—he's not—fake! _

She grabbed her ninja boots and tugged them on, before climbing out the window.

Landing on the streets with pinpoint chakra control, Sakura burst into a run. It was time to visit an old friend…

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爱情

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"Good morning, Ino," Sakura said, pointing her nose up arrogantly as her hands crossed under her _disappointingly flat_ chest.

"S-Sakura?" Ino blinked to see if she was dreaming. Then she pointed in disbelief. "W-What are you doing here? I haven't seen you since we became genin!"

Sakura snorted. "Well, that's because I was busy doing an A-rank mission."

"Liar!" Ino accused, her competitive streak emerging. "That giant forehead of yours is only good for slowing down D-ranks!"

A vein popped from Sakura's forehead. "You—PIG! You're the sloth doing D-ranks all day!"

"Yeah?" Ino grinned. "I've done five C-ranks already!" She knew her team did the most out of all the rookies, they had the best teamwork and their sensei was the Hokage's son. Team 10 was the most mature and favored, being the InoShikaCho.

"Like I said," Sakura held up her mission report. "A-rank."

Ino's eyes widened at the sheet. _So it's real. Forehead wasn't bluffing._

"Heh," Sakura had a smug smile on her face, "I'm the one who recruited two S-rank shinobi into the village!"

Two seconds of amazement, then a second of jealousy that Forehead girl has surpassed her, and finally full blown anger. "YOU CAME TO THE YAMANAKA FLOWER SHOP TO RUB IT IN MY FACE?!" Ino fumed, "YOU BITCH!" She tackled Sakura to the floor and they started wrestling like little boys back in the Academy.

But Sakura had more experience than Ino—She brawled with Naruto and Sasuke long before they became genin—and so she ended up sitting on Ino's back, not a breath wasted while the blonde panted hard.

"G-Get off me!" Ino demanded, her face to the ground. "Customers are coming!"

"I think we scared them away," was Sakura's answer. "And no, I didn't come to brag. We're still rivals, but it's not for the same thing anymore."

Ino tried to push herself up. "The hell does that mean?"

"I'm not after Sasuke anymore."

_Liar. _

"I love him, but I'm not _in love_ with him. There's a difference, pig!"

Ino stopped struggling, deep in thought. "You've seriously matured, Forehead." _You've blossomed…Sakura._

"Heh. Unlike a certain pig,"

"HEY!"

"I love Naruto too. I think it's the same with you, for your teammates, right?"

Ino hesitated, about to deny it—one was fat and the other was lazy, but she still liked bossing them around. "Well…yeah, I like them." Ino confessed, "But 'like' isn't a strong enough word, because I 'like' flowers too. So…I love them."

She peered up at Sakura. "I understand…So, are we friends now or what?"

Sakura pushed herself off Ino before holding out a hand to help her up. "Probably."

Ino blinked, taking her hand and pulling herself up. "What do you mean probably?"

"I dunno." Sakura said sheepishly. "I really don't know you so well. You were really nice to me back then, but then we were…rivals….for a stupid reason, until now. Now we're rivals over who's the better ninja, and I'm in the lead with my A-rank mission." She walked inside the shop, looking at the colorful display. "I knew you had a flower shop, but I never came here." She touched a set of blue roses. "I'd like this."

"Echeveria 'Opal Moon'" Ino labeled, coming up beside her and grabbing the flowers into a bouquet. "That's their name…so, who are they for?"

"The Memorial Stone, for the ninja who died in battle," Sakura answered vaguely, leaving out mention of Obito. He wouldn't like anyone knowing about his ghostly existence.

"Ah, I see, always a nerd, buying flowers that aren't for a boy," Ino said knowingly, "You're so sad that I'm letting you have them for free."

Sakura punched her shoulder. "Thanks, Ino." **CHA! YOU MAKE ME SOUND PATHETIC! **

"Anyway," _I was going to ask Obito-kun to come but he's gone to Heaven or somewhere that's not here,_ "Want to come shopping with me?" Sakura pointed at her clothes, which were still the pink pajamas she woke up in this morning.

Ino burst out laughing.

"Forehead, why are we sneaking in the Hyuuga compound?"

"Because only three girls in our year became genin. If you and I go shopping, we're leaving out that other girl."

"Hinata?"

"She was the only one that wasn't a Sasuke-fangirl…and she has no friends, except _maybe_ if she bonded with her team like you did. She reminds me of myself."

"Hah. That shy girl is nothing like you, Billboard Brow!"

"I—I used to be insecure!" _Until Obito._ "I was also shy before I met you."

Ino paused, emotions fluttering through her chest. "I'm glad you've blossomed."

"…Thanks...Ino."

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爱情

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Hinata sighed at her green tea. Today was her day off from missions. She knew Naruto's team would be training at Ground Seven…Maybe she could go watch them behind a tree.

She always silently cheered for Naruto, and when he fell, he never failed to get back up. That type of determination was something Hinata wanted…his confidence.

She set her teacup aside, and picked up her tray of biscuits and tea. Her little sister Hanabi and her father were out training, no doubt honing her into the heiress that Hinata failed to become.

She walked outside, hesitantly placing the tray on the floorboards. Just beyond that was the training yard.

Hiashi noticed his first daughter, and paused from landing a hit on Hanabi. "Let's take a break, Hanabi."

Hanabi lowered her hands, and walked towards Hinata, silently. "Thank you, sister."

She nodded, scurrying off before Hiashi could scold her for being weak.

Hiashi sighed.

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爱情

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Hinata sighed, opening the door to her room. She needed some alone time—_WHAT?!_

Freezing in place, her white eyes widened at the sight of two strangers lounging in her room—pink and yellow.

"S-Sakura?" She recognized her as Naruto-kun's teammate, and looked at the blonde, trying to find a name. "Ino?"

"Yup." Sakura hopped off Hinata's bed. "We couldn't just waltz in through the front door, your father's scary!" _I know from first-hand experience, after that Slug prank. _

"Your infiltration skills have really improved," Ino commented. "The Hyuuga are known for their all-seeing eyes."

"E-Eep!" Hinata grabbed Sakura's hands, desperation overcoming her shyness and shock. "If you can sneak in like that, there must be a breach in security."

"No, I'm just_ that _good," Sakura reassured, "and I have lots of experience with sneaking inside Noble Clan Compounds."

That wasn't reassuring at all.

Coming back to her senses, Hinata released Sakura's hands as if they were on fire as her face heated up into a blush. _T-Those hands, they touched Naruto-kun's_.

It was still surreal. Hinata had never expected _anyone_ to visit her home, not even Shino or Kiba—they knew to avoid Hinata's father as much as possible.

Sakura giggled at her expression. "See, Ino-pig? Told you it would be a good idea!"

"Damn, I should have brought along some sunflowers." Ino reached over and patted Hinata's head. As she tensed, Ino giggled, "Or Madonna Lilies. She's a lot like you, when we were kids."

Hinata blinked, as she was suddenly pulled by her hand out the window.

"C'mon, shopping time!" Sakura ordered as they landed on the ground.

Ino landed beside them, and pointed.

Hinata was too shocked to protest as they snuck out.

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爱情

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Sakura, Ino, and Hinata looked around the ninja gear store.

"You need to wear something that shows off that body of yours!" Ino advised Hinata.

"N-No," Hinata managed out. "I like to…be warm."

Ino snorted. "You're just too modest. Even Sakura overcame that stage."

"Actually, that's one of the reasons I didn't want to shop alone with you and invited Hinata along. I _want_ to be more modest,"… "And warmer," Sakura added for Hinata's sake.

Hinata made a grateful nod to the pinkette.

"But not as modest as a fur jacket and pants that cover your legs…Nevermind, I need some sweatpants." She tried to visual Obito's outfit. _Something like that._

"Ino, Hinata," Sakura called. "Let's get some dango after this."

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爱情

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She ended up wearing ninja gear, sweatpants that were warm, black gloves that could go for sleeves like Sasuke's arm-warmers, and a dark blue shirt with orange trims with the Haruno crest. It highly resembled Obito's genin outfit, which, admittedly, matched the orange goggles quite well.

Ino had laughed and said she wasn't from a clan so the circle insignia was an overkill.

**CHA! YOU PIG!**

Currently, they were sitting at the outdoor café table eating their favorite food, aside from dango. Hinata was nibbling at some cinnamon buns, content with life.

For the first time, the girl didn't look stressed, and Sakura felt relieved. _The Hyuuga are the most uptight people ever! Interaction like this should do her good. _

Ino propped her hand on her chin, picking at her pudding. "The Chuunin exams are coming up."

Hinata perked up. She hadn't known of this.

"That's why I needed something more durable…and orange." Sakura laughed. Her goggles were pulled over her eyes and her hair tied up.

"You look more like a scientist than a ninja," Ino commented, expecting a retort about her own appearance.

Instead, Sakura slumped, a cloud of gloom over her head. _I've been slacking off on my experients. What would Obito-kun say?_

"O-Oi, what's wrong?" Ino pushed her tray of dango closer to Sakura.

Hinata tentatively pat Sakura's shoulder. "You can tell us."

"I—I…" Sakura hesitated. She could be vague, knowing Ino would keep bugging her if she didn't say anything. "I used to like this boy, but he's dead. So...I miss him." Sakura sighed. "And there's a lot of people I miss. I don't want to worry Naruto and Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei. There's a lot of things I can't tell my team."

Hinata dropped her hand. "Sakura…chan."

Ino walked over and thumped Sakura's head. "Forehead, I knew you bought those flowers, but I didn't think it was that serious! Okay, you know what," Ino thought back on those psychology lessons her father drilled in her, "I'm sure they're proud that you've made it this far. They wouldn't want you hanging onto the past, yeah? Do your best in the Chuunin exams and show 'em!"

Sakura peered up at her rival. "…Thanks, Ino."

Hinata mustered up her confidence, seeing this new side of Sakura…She was more than just some girl Naruto had a crush on; she was a person who craved the love from people who couldn't give her. Hinata understood, she wanted Naruto-kun's acknowledgement. Sakura wanted the same thing from dead people. It was enlightening, and saddening

_Sakura has it far worse than I do_, Hinata realized. _Y-Yet, she's still strong. _

_…Always picking herself up, just like Naruto-kun…I should do my best too…For my clan and father's acknowledgement, and for myself. _

Sakura saw something alit in Hinata's eyes._ Self-confidence? _

"Today was a fun day." Sakura laughed, rubbing her head sheepishly. "It's enough girl-time for me to last the rest of the year."

That was an understatement to Hinata. This day of simple friendship made her feel like a person—as one of them. It was enough for her to be satisfied for life. She smiled faintly. "…I enjoyed it. T-Thanks for having me, S-Sakura-chan, I-Ino-c-chan."

"No problem," Ino answered, placing her hands on her hips eerily like Sakura. "I was getting tired of fatboy, Lazy, and smoker-sensei!

"Ino, Hinata, when the chuunin exams start, don't expect me to show any mercy," Sakura smiled, "INO! I'm going to defeat you once and for all!"

"Bring it on, Forehead!" Ino retorted.

Hinata felt…shy. "Y-Yeah!" She squeaked

Sakura finished up her iced tea and huffed. It was relaxing, with Ino and Hinata. When she was with Naruto and Sasuke, they were always involved in a life-threatening situation or up to something exciting and probably illegal.

Although, she was willing to take the bad and the good. Every moment with her team was precious.

Sakura smiled to her friends, a new bubbly feeling inside her. "Well, I should be getting back. I'm already very late for training, any more and Kakashi-sensei won't let me hear the end of it." Sakura shuddered.

"Wait a minute," Ino pointed out, "Asuma-sensei uses the excuse of your Sensei's constant lateness for himself to kick back and smoke! Is your Sensei actually not lazier than mine?" _No wonder you completed an A-rank! Grrh, I'm going to kick Asuma-sensei's ass for lying to us!_

"Really?" Sakura was surprised. "He's always earlier than me. Even when I wake up earlier on purpose, he comes even earlier and yells at me for being late." _Which contradicts his disregard for the shinobi rules, but I think he does it for his own fun. Although, why me and not Sasuke or Naruto?_

"I knew it!" Ino exclaimed, "Your Sensei actually trains you! Grrrh, no fair, Forehead! I'm heading back to my team for a talk!"

Sakura sweatdropped as Ino marched away.

Hinata stood up. "I-I should be getting back too. Ja, Sakura-chan."

Sakura nodded, smiling softly. "Mhm." She looked up, watching a full moon shine against a dark night sky. A few stars glittered, and Sakura's jaw dropped.

_Crap! I—I missed an entire day of training! _Sakura jolted up from her seat. "Good luck!" She shouted as she ran to the nearest bookstore.

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爱情

* * *

"Haku?" Sakura watched the ex-hunter nin flip through books on anatomy and the shinobi rules. "And Iruka-sensei?" Beside Haku, sat her old Academy teacher.

"Yo, " Iruka waved, "I was just showing Haku around the village. Our educational resources, more specifically."

"There's not anything like this in the Mist." Haku said with a small smile. "In no time, I can join the medical corps."

"Medical corps?" Sakura queried, interested.

"Yes. Hokage-sama applied me for the iryo-nin courses at the hospital. Normally, it's only restricted to chuunin, but he's making an exception for me."

"What about Zabuza-san?"

"Zabuza-sama is...doing D-ranks under..." Haku hesitated. "Anko-sensei."

"Anko got promoted?" Iruka widened his eyes. The snake woman was an interrogator, permanently a special jounin limited to her field of enterprise. To think she'd acquire the rank of a well-rounded jounin, well, it was rare...and alarming. She was also a proctor for the upcoming chuunin exams, and a sadist at that. Iruka sighed in relief that none of his students were getting the sadist as their jounin sensei. His appreciation of Haku and Zabuza increased a little bit more.

"There you are!" A new, feminine but rough voice resonated, and Sakura jerked around to see a woman in a fishnet shirt under a pale yellow trench coat, with her purple hair tied up.

"Anko-sensei!" Haku exclaimed, and noticed a towering figure standing right behind her. "Zabuza-sama!" Haku dipped his head.

"Ugh," Anko facepalmed, "How long are you going to call him that? I'm your superior, not him, goddammit!"

Zabuza smirked, amused. "That just shows how much a better teacher I was than you could ever be."

"Shut up, my other student!" Anko whirled onto Zabuza.

Zabuza held his hands up in a pacifying gesture, mumbling with sarcasm. "Yes, Anko-sensei."

"UGH! Why couldn't the goddamned Hokage have given me a normal team, of normal students to terrify? Why couldn't he have given me YOU?" Anko suddenly grabbed the collar of a stunned Sakura's shirt.

"U-Uh," Sakura grinned. "Because you're the only one who could handle former mist ninja?"

Or more like we're the only ones who can handle a psycho Anko, Haku and Zabuza thought simultaneously.

"Hah! That's right, smarty." Anko released the pinkette. "my babies beat Kakashi's all the way!"

Everyone was silent.

Anko pouted. "The fuck are we cooped up in a stuffy library for? Come on boys! To the Torture and Interrogation Department! Haku, you wanna learn anatomy? I'll get Ibiki to string you up some spies! Hands-on experience beats books anyday!"

Sakura begged to differ.

Zabuza sweatdropped. He'd thought the Leaf was a soft village, but apparently he was wrong.

Zabuza wondered if he was stronger than Anko-sensei, but he wasn't going to throw everything he's worked so hard for away just to find out. I've become soft. Weeks earlier, I wouldn't bother to think about it, just kill everyone and move on with life.

Anko-sensei stuck around for moments longer, eying Sakura. "Sakura, was it? Tell Kakashi he's got a new rival, besides Maito Gai!" She whirled around, and stalked out the door, followed by Haku, who nodded goodbye.

Zabuza chuckled sinisterly, heaving his giant sword over his back. "See you in the chuunin exams, Sakura."

Then realization struck. "AAAH?!" _No way! I'm up against them?! No, more importantly, Iruka-sensei must be more shocked than I am!_

She chanced a glance at her Academy teacher, and saw Iruka had passed out from the shock.

Her eye twitched. "Great, even more things to worry about. 1- buying a book for Kakashi-sensei to make up for my extreme lateness. 2- facing Zabuza and Haku, and Ino-pig of course, in the Chuunin exams. And 3- carrying Iruka-sensei to the hospital."

Sakura sighed in annoyance and walked up to a bookshelf. "Something distracting..." _Kakashi-sensei is definitely going to worry hard! He loves us! _**CHA! I WANT TO BECOME CHUUNIN, WHETHER HE LIKES IT OR NOT! **Sakura hummed as she picked out an orange book. It looked faintly familiar, and she _would_ have recognized it if Kakashi had pulled it out to read often. But Kakashi tended to stare at his students with a glazed look in his eyes that he reserved for only his Memorial Stone, and rarely read his Icha Icha. (It's also the same reason why Kakashi was never late to Team 7 training sessions.)

Sakura looked at the childish orange cover of the book and decided to put it back. **No, wait! Why are you judging a book by its cover? Don't you like orange also? **

_Tch. Fine._ Sakura glared at the cover, and noticed the author; "Jiraiya." Her mind went on overdrive as she hashed through the Academy lessons Iruka-sensei drilled into the class, as she mindlessly flipped through the pages.

_Nope not there._

She started remembering Obito-kun's lessons instead.

_Orochimaru's human experiments; Tsunade's medical research; ..._And a vague memory of Obito-kun's random ramblings, mentioning a man that causes Obito-kun "a shitload of trouble" hindering his plans for world peace...

'World peace' was a crude term to describe what she was working for, but there was no other way to say it; unless she wanted to get figurative and chant 'Eternal Dream.'

_Eternal dream?_

That also sounded familiar. Was Obito-kun in Heaven trying to bring something divine to Earth? To bring back what was lost and stop further loss?

That sounded impossible, but her 7-year-old self had believed in him. Now...She was almost 13, and Obito-kun's words were sounding less realistic. There was so much she didn't know and-

**Hey! I'm the same age as Obito-kun now!**

_Shut up, Inner! _Sakura couldn't prevent her smug grin at catching up to her 'mentor' and 'number 1 best friend.' "Heheheheh," she giggled. "Heheh-UWAH!"

"There you were," a chilling deep voice accused, after a familiar hand plopped atop her head.

"K-K-Kashi," Sakura gasped, her face heating up.

Her sensei leaned in from behind, peering over at the pages gripped between her fingers.

"Hmmm...You're already up to page 367," Kakashi enunciated huskily, scratching his nails across her headband to make a screeching noise that was loud only to her ears.

Sakura shuddered. "I-I wasn't-"

Kakashi pointed to a smutty paragraph on the page she was on, and Sakura's face turned beet red.

"Reading porn all day? Well, you _are_ at that age..." Kakashi trailed off. "My former teammate never reached your age and never got the opportunity to. You should enjoy it while you can. In fact, I might even refrain myself from teaching you anymore new jutsu."

"I...I was researching Jiraiya-sama's works!" Sakura suddenly blurted out, completely flustered. _Y-You! Can't just stop teaching me like that, what will Naruto think- or hell, Sasuke?! Think of something else, Forehead! _ Kakashi's expression didn't change. **CHA! SOMETHING ELSE!** "Zabuza and Haku are in a genin team under Anko-sensei." She quipped, watching Kakashi-sensei's reaction.

"Eh?" Kakashi gave her a 'you're joking' expression.

"They were here moments ago, and Anko-sensei said that you were her rival, besides Gai-sensei."

"Not another one." Kakashi complained under his breath. _First Gai, then Anko. They're both crazy._

"Zabuza and Haku's also entering the Chuunin exams," Sakura added worriedly.

"A two man squad?" Kakashi placed a hand under his chin. "Hmm. She is a proctor for the upcoming exams, and the Hokage has been giving them special treatment lately." _Seriously, a Jounin-promotion just to give her teaching-rights? While I worked my way up from ANBU._

"Absolutely not," Iruka's voice chimed in. He'd just woken up. "You are not entering Naruto-And Sakura into the Chuunin Exams! They're not ready!"

"When did I say...Ah," Kakashi's eye curled. "Why do you care?"

"They're first year genin!" Iruka protested.

"Well, the problem is, they're not your students anymore." Kakashi smiled wider underneath his black mask. "_They're mine_."

Iruka scowled.

"I wasn't going to enter them because _Zabuza_ is a chuunin candidate, but..." Kakashi chuckled sinisterly, almost identical to the way Zabuza did earlier. "Since you gave me that wonderful idea, I will."

**Cha! Thanks Iruka-sensei! **Sakura inwardly cheered while on the outside she frowned. **Oh wait! Zabuza's** **a candidate! Which means I'll have to fight him! Should I be scared instead? **Sakura's fake frown turned real.

"WHAT? NO!" Iruka jumped to his feet and stomped towards Kakashi.

Sakura positioned herself in front of Kakashi, halting Iruka's advance. "Iruka-sensei, it's okay. I think this will be a great learning experience, and besides, Zabuza and Haku are my friends."

Iruka raised his eyebrows. _What?_

"Also, we've gotten stronger. A_ lot_ stronger." Sakura stated like it was a fact. "Right, Sensei?"

Kakashi smiled pridefully. "That's right, Sakura."

It was then that Iruka took note of Sakura's appearance. She was wearing ninja gear instead of the red civilian dress, and underneath her eyes, the darkened skin indicating lack of sleep were gone. Her skin was healthier, unlike years ago when she was skinny and malnourished. _She's really grown._ His eyes flickered towards the lazy Sensei who's hands had gotten onto the book Sakura was holding earlier. _This must be his doing..._

Iruka was staring at Kakashi in new light, and that was starting to creep him out. "Uhh, so, Iruka-san," Kakashi cleared his throat. "Best get going now. Wouldn't want to miss out any minute of training for the Exams."

"Yes!" Sakura cheered. This means that Kakashi wasn't going to stop teaching them awesome jutsu as punishment, because they needed it for the Chuunin Exams! "Kakashi-sensei, I was about to buy that book for you," Sakura told him honestly.

"That's a good girl," Kakashi smirked.

And Sakura was taken aback._ Good girl?_ Why did that compliment sound so familiar? Shaking it off, she opened her pouch and took out 200 ryo, handing it to the cashier. "Let's go, sensei?"

Iruka blinked, "Ah. Take care of Sakura and Naruto, alright?" He scratched his nose, trying to grasp a name from his memory. "And Sasuke too."

Kakashi nodded. "I will. Trust me."

And then they left together.

* * *

爱情

* * *

Sakura peered around at Kakashi's apartment. It was just a single bedroom, there was no kitchen or bathroom. Outside, was the hallway lined with other dormitories of the apartment building, and beyond that, was the outdoors.

_Sheesh, is Kakashi-sensei really this broke? And where does he use the bathroom? I mean e__ven Naruto's home has an eat-in kitchen, and Sasuke and I live in multi-level houses._ _Maybe this is a boarding house that shares a bathroom and kitchen with ten other people?  
_

"I appreciate you escorting me, Sakura," Kakashi drawled. "But shouldn't it have been the other way around?"

"No, no, it's fine," Sakura held her hands up. "I'd rather you not have to endure my mother's scoldings."_ Actually she's been acting like a blank slate ever since Obito-kun left- But that's even worse, if Kakashi finds out._

"...How considerate." Kakashi finally managed out. "I'll keep that in mind."

Sakura pivoted, and Kakashi asked, "Where are you going?"

"Oh? To Sasuke's, then Naruto's!"

"Hmm." Kakashi chuckled. "...Okay, Sakura. Have fun. Also, the Exam's in three days."

"I know, _Sensei._" Sakura started walking away. "Don't stay up all night reading!"

Kakashi clutched his book a bit tighter. She was just about to turn a corner, and for a moment she looked just like...when Obito about to vanish. The goggles, the clothing scheme, the sunny smile...From behind, she resembled the final moments of his dead teammate, and it chilled him; she should have stuck with her red dress. "Sakura!"

Sakura paused.

... "Don't ever change."

...

There was no answer, as if she ignored him completely. Taking footsteps again, she turned the corner, and was finally out of his sight. _Gone_.

...

Kakashi wondered if she'd heard him at all.

* * *

爱情


	48. Home

家园

* * *

"Hey Sasuke," Sakura said nervously.

"Hn." Sasuke pointedly looked at the sky. Sure enough, the moon was at its peak. "You missed training, Annoyance."

"Aha," Sakura thought up an excuse on the spot. "I was lost on the road of life!" _Technically I really was, I had to think about what to do with my life and Obi...to...kun. _

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow at the sudden cloud of gloom hanging over her head. Strange, but not unusual for the annoying Sakura. "Come in."

Sakura brightened up and sprinted inside. Then, she froze.

"...Umm, why don't we head to Naruto's instead?" Sakura requested with a tilt of her head to look back at the Uchiha, her anxiety coming back.

Sasuke blinked, wondering what sparked this reaction. Was there something wrong with his home? _I'd understand if this place was too rowdy or exuberant like the dobe's, but it's silent. There's nothing distracting at all... _"Why do you look so scared?" He asked, blunt as always.

"Eh?" Sakura was taken aback, before she realized her face was an open book. "I'm not scared!" Her cheeks reddened, embarrassed. She grabbed his hand and tugged.

Sasuke sighed, deciding to force it out of her. Tightening his grip, he flipped her around and pinned her to the wall in a restraining motion he often used on Naruto. "Stop denying it and answer my question."

**Violent as always**_. _Inner Sakura thought, remembering this was not the first time he tried to terrify an answer out of her through aggression. Back in the early days of the Academy, Sasuke was known not to be a violent outside of official spars unless it was 'self-defense' against Naruto...that was...until Sakura had dragged them together (she had no idea what was going on in her head back then, but seeing how unexpectedly awesome everything turned out, she has no regrets.) From then on, they'd fought constantly, for the hell of it. Right now, however, Sasuke had a motive; to find out the reason for **something so obvious it's infuriating! **

"Because this is the Uchiha Compound, for fucking hell!" Sakura snapped, elbowing Sasuke in a rib as she stomped onto his exposed toe.

"Tgnch," Sasuke grunted, releasing her. "Since when did you grow scared? Don't say this is your first time here."_ More than once you've visited my clan's cemetery with...flowers_. He bristled at the reminder of his older brother's merciless slaughter of his entire family.

"I can't stand this place," Sakura insisted, squeezing his hand with more strength than a person would naturally have, "They're all watching me_._"She still remembered gouging out every Sharingan Obito-kun pointed out. She would have been scared of defiling the dead and getting cursed, but the ghosts of the Uchiha clearly wanted her to do what she was told to do. Ever since that night, however, she never saw them again. What if it was all a genjutsu? _  
_

_Nah, can't be. If those ghosts weren't the real thing, and I really did violate the dead without their real permission, I'd be cursed to a life of misfortune. _ **Besides, Obito-kun would never coerce you like that! What would he gain from it anyway? **Her thoughts flickered to the many missing jars of Sharingan she'd collected._ Did Obito-kun take them?_

Impossible.

...

"Ah," Sasuke smiled smugly. "You're afraid of ghosts."

Sakura gawked. "Eh?"

"You're hopeless." He concluded, taking her hand and leading her out. "I only see them in my thoughts, but you happen to believe it to be the real thing."

Sakura sweatdropped. It was logical for Sasuke to have mini-controlled-hallucinations-** AH! That's not good!** _Forget about me- This is his family, I'm so stupid!_ "Come on, Sasuke!" She pulled ahead, taking the lead, and burst into a run. Just when Sasuke was about to adjust, her free hand formed a seal and they vanished with her Body Flicker Technique. Obito trained her well.

* * *

家园

* * *

"From now on, Sasuke will live here with you, Naruto." Sakura stated bluntly at a sleepy Naruto, who was still yawning and rubbing his eyes.

Sasuke gasped, about to drop to the floor by the unexpected transportation technique, had Sakura not been holding onto the scruff of his shirt. He shot the Annoyance a warning glare before looking at the Loser in pajamas and a stupid looking animal hat.

"Sure- Sakura-chan," Naruto answered by reflex, before the meaning of her statement dawned. "WAIT WHAT?! TEME?!"

"When did I agree to this?" Sasuke asked sarcastically.

_Uhhh...I can't pull the ghost-card since that only happens to me. Ugh, what should I say? What reasons are there, besides my stupid whim? _Sakura crossed her arms thoughtfully. "It's convenient. One of you can do the cooking for both, do the grocery shopping for both, there's less cleaning to be done on your ends, and...there's more time for training! Because...you're both right here. And when I come get you guys, I don't have to head in both directions. I can just arrive here!" Sakura grinned at her genius logic.

Naruto was conflicted. He didn't quite like the teme but he related to him in so many ways. He was hesitant about this idea but it made him feel all bubbly inside. Eventually, he grinned brightly. "That's an awesome idea! Sakura-chan's so smart!"

"Hn." Sasuke closed his eyes. "I'm not living with the dobe."

"But the chuunin exams are coming up, and I have herbal and medical textbooks hidden under Naruto's bathroom's floorboards." Sakura said.

"EH?!" Naruto gaped. _Since when?!_ ...He didn't know how he should feel about Sakura using his home as her personal textbook bank; the bathroom of all places! Then again, it made sense; he was never allowed ten feet near the toilet when Sakura was using it, so that must have been how she hid stuff in his own home without his notice! Then Naruto backtracked- Sakura said something about Chuunin Exams?

"We should make food pills to increase the overall success of our missions, especially for the Chuunin exams! I can teach you two, you know. And with you both together, it'll be a breeze!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. The idea did sound...convenient. Perhaps it would strengthen his body with the right nutrition, and support him on his life-goal. "Heh." Sasuke smirked despite himself. "Keep in mind, my stay is only temporary."

Naruto harrumphed. "It's not like I want you waiting at home everyday for me, teme!"

That earned him a punch from said teme.

* * *

家园


	49. Inner Gaara

沙

* * *

Sakura yawned as she awakened to a run-down room. Pushing herself from the hard bed, she inspected around, noticing Naruto and Sasuke asleep on the bed. She looked down, and it turns out it wasn't a hard bed. **CHA! I slept on the floor!**

_This is so wrong. The guys are supposed to sleep on the floor, not a girl like me! _Sakura stood up and made to wake Naruto up, but was taken aback by how adorable her two teammates were sharing the same bed. Of course there wasn't enough space for her—

_What am I thinking?! I'm a girl! I'm not supposed to be sleeping in the same room as the boys and—_

**ugh, Naruto's house stinks! Screw the rules, cha! It costs money to buy extra beds! **

_I'm not abandoning my friends (_**OR MONEY!****_)_**_ in order to follow social norms. Got that, Obito? _

She hopped onto her feet and grabbed for Naruto first, rolling him off the bed, intending to do the same for Sasuke next. _I sure am spiteful. _

"OW!" Naruto was forced awake from the painful collision with the ground. Coming to his senses, he looked at Sakura incredulously through droopy cerulean eyes. "What was that for?!"

_No way am I going to make myself look bad. _Sakura scrunched up her nose. "You snore loud."

_Yeah right_. Naruto crossed his arms stubbornly, gasping indignantly and pointing when he noticed Sasuke still asleep in his bed. He almost choked from his shock, before a mischievous grin filled his face.

Noticing it, Sakura felt excitement. Naruto's antics were bringing back old memories. "I know what you're thinking—" she accused with a stern voice, and Naruto visibly slumped, "a prank."

As Naruto's expression filled with shame, Sakura suddenly grinned. "Let's do it! Any ideas?"

Naruto brightened up like the sun.

Sasuke blinked awake to two copies of Kakashi-sensei towering over his bed.

"You overslept and refused to wake up despite our efforts," Kakashi drawled mournfully, with great disappointment in his eye, "You missed the Chuunin Exams."

Sasuke bolted himself up from the bed, paranoid and menacingly. "Hold on, what did you say?"

"Naruto and Sakura went ahead without you and got promoted," The second Kakashi (his shadow clone?) scolded, "In fact, Naruto became a jounin."

Sasuke screamed.

* * *

沙

* * *

Naruto rolled around on the floor, covering his ears in a desperate attempt to blot out his rival's screams. "OH GOD TEME!"

Plastic buds from Sakura's goggles were plugged in her ears, so she merely crossed her arms as she dispelled her Kakashi-transformation-technique; no point in maintaining it any longer since Naruto broke his cover.

_This must be so embarrassing for Sasuke_, Sakura thought as she handed him a glass of water.

Sasuke started choking, as she expected, and grabbed the cup, chugging it down. He exhaled a cold breath, and realized it was all a trick.

_I should have seen through it—there's no way the dobe could become a jounin before I do—not to mention, there were two Kakashis. _Two… He death glared down Naruto and Sakura. "You both…" Sasuke growled, and Sakura burst out laughing.

At that moment, the door opened, and in walked the real Kakashi. "Yo! What's—" Kakashi was suddenly kicked across the face by none other than Sasuke, and hit the ground with a thump. _What the heck?! _Under normal circumstances, he would have dodged easily, but he was too dumbfounded at the prospect of Sasuke randomly attacking him that it worked.

Sasuke stepped back_. Not another transformation, huh?...Shit, he's the real thing. _

Apparently coming to the same conclusion, Sakura shrieked, "RUN!" She vanished in a flash, Naruto and Sasuke close behind her.

When Kakashi recovered, he could only murmur, "My team is insane."

* * *

沙

* * *

As Sakura turned a corner around the streets near the Konoha Gate, she spotted a black-clothed foreigner with purple face tattoos and a cat-shaped hood. The stranger was currently holding an Academy student in a chokehold, letting his two little friends watch anxiously. A blonde woman with a giant fan over her back stood to the side looking at her nails.

"Konohamaru!" Naruto cried, starting towards them.

"Wait—" Sakura blocked his path, "Let me handle this." _Naruto's just going to start a fight. _

Approaching the two foreigners, Sakura placed her hands on her hips. "Hey! That's the Hokage's grandson you're picking on! You want to be arrested and disqualified before the chuunin exams even begin?"

At that, the woman's calm face transformed into worry. "She's right, Kankuro. Put him down."

"Shut it, Temari. Little brats need to learn their lessons," Kankuro answered, but he dropped Konohamaru to the floor nonetheless.

"Ouch!" Konohamaru yelped, but Temari gave a sigh of relief.

"Hmph!" Konohamaru crossed his arms. "It's always because I'm the Hokage's grandson that I get a free pass! I want to be seen as who I am!"

**KonohaMARU! **Inner Sakura awakened. **YOU WANNA GET KILLED?! **

Kankuro smirked. "Yeah? You wanna be treated as you are without the title? Perfect, the same goes for me!" He reached behind himself for the luggage at his back, and Temari gasped.

"Don't tell me you'll use Karasu for this!"

_Karasu_? _Crap, he's going to hurt the kid! _"STOP!" Sakura charged forward and tripped onto her face. Her goggles were on, so her glasses were undamaged, although her body landed with a thump. "Ow…" _That bastard attached chakra strings to my legs to trip me! If I didn't have these glasses, I wouldn't have noticed! And I was too focused on Konohamaru to react properly! If Obito-kun found out, he'll scold me for sure!_

"Sakura-chan, you did good!" Naruto cheered on, "Even though you're clumsy—"

"Speak for yourself, idiot!" Sakura retorted as she pushed herself off the ground.

"You're annoying. All of you. I don't like runts or any other scrawny weaklings, so when a wimp like this starts shooting off his mouth, I just want to break them." As if to infuriate her, Kankuro picked Konohamaru up again and drew his fist back, throwing it towards the small boy's face—

Only for a rock to slash across his hand. He dropped the child and shrieked, turning a hostile gaze towards his assailant.

It was Sasuke, perched upon a tree to the side of the road, tossing a rock in his hand. "You're a long way from home and you're way out of your league."

Everyone else looked at Sasuke with admiration as he squeezed the rock into dust. "Get lost."

"Hey punk, get down here."

Sasuke didn't move.

"All attitude and nothing to back it up," Kankuro decided as he reached to unwrap his Karasu puppet.

All of a sudden, Sakura spun, throwing a kunai towards Sasuke, who watched the weapon with disbelief while Kankuro paused in his actions.

_ Sakura's attacking me? _Sasuke's eyes tracked the kunai as it avoided him by a mere centimeter, flying past and embedding itself into sand that seemed to have come out of nowhere: floating sand that was not from Konoha.

It was a barrier of sand controlled by a pissed off redhead standing upside-down on the branch behind Sasuke's tree.

"G-Gaara," Kankuro squeaked, dropping his mummified puppet to the floor.

_How did he get there? He didn't even make a sound; only Jounin at Kakashi's level are that smooth. _Sasuke redirected an assessing look at Sakura, dirtied clothes and bruises. _ The clumsy annoyance noticed him before I did. _

Temari was petrified. The pink-haired brat had just attacked Gaara. Gaara was just attacked. _GAARA WAS ALMOST ASSASSINATED!_ _Running won't do—it'll only encourage him to kill us. _"Kankuro! Don't run!" She shouted before her brother could think on it, without taking her eyes off Gaara as his sand crunched the kunai into dust. _Sand Coffin._

Disregarding Sasuke for the moment, Gaara kept his pale green eyes on Sakura's deep green ones. _This girl is no joke. She caught me off guard by acting like a fool, and my automatic sand defense was the only thing keeping me from getting killed. I didn't even see it coming._

Vanishing in a swirl of sand, Gaara reappeared on the ground between Kankuro and Temari. "Let's go."

Temari breathed a sigh of relief. _Thank god Gaara isn't going to kill the Leaf girl. It would have screwed up the plan. _

"Hold on!" Sakura sprinted forward. "Hey!"

Gaara paused, and Temari bit her bottom lip angrily. _Are you suicidal or what?! Your life just got let off! _"What?"

"Not you, him," Sakura pointed at the redhead. "What's your name?"

"Sabaku no Gaara," he answered, turning around. "I'm curious about you too. Who are you?"

"Sakura Haruno," she answered quickly, something else on her mind. "Gaara. I'm sorry for attacking you." Sakura's face tinged red in shame. "I could have killed you, and I'm very sorry about that, heh." Sakura trailed off awkwardly. **Stop staring at me like that, I already apologized! **

Gaara's impassive expression turned aghast. A human, being remorseful for almost taking his life? Impossible.

_Uhh, he looks like he's in pain now. I guess the kunai sliced him somewhere and he's only showing it now, like the way Sasuke holds his feelings in. _"Are you hurt?" Sakura tried, stepping closer to Gaara as his siblings backed off. "I know some medical ninjutsu that can heal you. Where are you hurt?"

"Here." Gaara suddenly held a hand over the left part of his chest, his voice sounding shaky. _Those eyes…_they were identical to Yashamaru's, and he wondered whether Sakura was exactly the same; full of kindness, only to betray you.

Sakura raised her eyebrows in disbelief as she placed a hand over the area where Gaara's heart should be, green healing chakra flowing through his clothing as he tensed, awaiting death. She withdrew her hand and placed it on her hip sternly. "Liar! You're not hurt!"

"I'm…not?" Gaara's voice shook, and he grabbed his head suddenly, in pain. _Kill…Kill..Kill._ "Then why does it hurt? It hurts when I disobey mother."

Sakura punched Gaara's head with the same force she reserved for Naruto, which means, hard. He stumbled, and Sakura grabbed his shoulders.

"You idiot! That's not your mom! It's your Inner Gaara!" Sakura theorized, not knowing it was actually the Ichibi trying to fuel Gaara's bloodlust. "I have one too, and if I obeyed my Inner, everyone would be dead. But I keep Inner Sakura under control just fine, so you should have no problems."

Gaara gaped, a loss for words.

"Your Inner may be strong, but it's_ you_ that regulates how much of that leaks into the outside you." Sakura explained, shaking Gaara's shoulders. "So if it hurts, you're being too weak and need to toughen up."

_Blunt as always_, Sasuke watched coolly, jealousy forgotten. _'Inner Sakura'? Did you really name your split personality and apply it to this Sand stranger? You're insane. _

Gaara, however, was spluttering. "Inner…Gaara…mine…to control…"

_He doesn't look so crazy anymore, I knew he could do it! _Sakura pulled him close and wrapped her arms around his back, squeezing him in a hug. For a moment, Gaara was reminded of his Sand Coffin Jutsu, but this gesture gave off an entirely different feeling…almost like, Yashumaru.

"Exactly! And you're doing great." Sakura whispered. "I knew there was someone else out there with an Inner. That makes you my friend."

Gaara hesitated as she drew back, holding a finger up.

"Also!" Sakura started lecturing, her teacher attitude returning, "A friend is someone you're willing to die for, not a mission." She thought about Kakashi-sensei and Obito-kun, Naruto and Sasuke.

Sasuke sighed. _Befriending the enemy again, first Zabuza and Haku, and now…this. _

Naruto recovered and grinned, folding his hands behind his head. "Yup!" _I was so close to interfering but there's no need anymore! _"People who abandon the mission are scum, but people who abandon their friends are worse than scum!"

"Hey listen," Temari hesitated. _They're demoralizing Gaara from the Plan. _"You can't just—"

"Temari, shut up." Gaara threatened. "Or I'll punish you."

_'Punish'? _Temari swallowed, having expected a death threat.

Gaara turned his back to Team Seven. "Kankuro, Temari, we didn't come here to play games." His voice sounded less menacing, it unguarded his siblings.

Unconsciously, Temari stepped a few inches closer than usual to Gaara's side, and Kankuro nodded, at a loss for words.

_It hurts to disobey my own 'mother.' _Gaara had a tiny smile on his face as he walked. _But She's under my control, hmm. _"An Inner...huh." Gaara's eyes turned skyward.

* * *

After the Sand genin was completely out of sight, Sasuke turned towards Sakura. "Do you always have to befriend every hostile person?"

"Oi, Gaara looked like he needed it," Sakura said, not knowing it was an understatement.

"That was awesome!" Naruto laughed.

"Hey Boss! How come you're not cool like Sasuke and Giant Forehead?!"

"Because uhh," Naruto made a mental note to improve himself and soon too. "Anyway! They're my roommate and girlfriend—"

Sasuke smacked them both before Sakura could.

* * *

沙

* * *

"It is time we select our candidates for the Chuunin Examinations. To begin, will those in charge of the Rookie Genin step forward."

The Hokage watched the four Rookie Jounin Sensei step in front of his desk. "Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma…and Anko. What do you say? Are there any in your squads you would recommend, who are ready for the exams despite their inexperience?"

Anko snorted. "Inexperience my ass."

Kakashi began. "I, Hatake Kakashi, recommend Squad Seven, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and Haruno Sakura for the Chuunin exams."

"And my Squad is Number Eight: Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino. And now I, Yuhi Kurenai, recommend all three."

"Mine is Squad Ten; Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Chouji, Nara Shikamaru. And now, I, Asuma Sarutobi, recommend all three."

"Squad Eleven! Haku and Zabuza, under me, the awesome Mitarashi Anko!" Anko's grin turned feral. "My babies are in."

The Hokage pinched the bridge of his nose as every jounin-sensei in the crowd gasped.

"Hold on! Hokage-sama! With all due respect, Zabuza is a defected shinobi of the Mist! Entering him into the chuunin exams is a declaration of war!"

Anko whirled onto the offending Jounin, her tongue seeking blood, but the Hokage quickly spoke before things turned ugly. "I have already taken that matter into account. It would be an issue if the Hidden Mist were to enter the Chuunin Exams, but they won't, as they are not our allies." The Hokage peered at the jounin group from underneath his hat. "Kirigakure is too engulfed in a Civil War to pester us."

"Even still," another Jounin piped up with concern. "Zabuza is one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist! He's going to blow the competition!"

Anko took that as a compliment. "Damn right he will—"

"That's if he passes the first phrase of the exams," the Hokage interrupted again.

Suddenly, every jounin in the crowd started chuckling. Anko sweatdropped. "Hey!"

_They won't screw it up will they? I can trust Zabuza to sit still for a 60-minute written test without destroying the entire examination room, right? RIGHT? _

_Instead of going straight to the good stuff I should have taught them patience before sating my bloodlust. _

Everyone in the room knew exactly what Anko was thinking. A jounin approached her. "You know, I wasn't going to recommend my squad for the Exams, but I don't have to worry about that anymore."

With that, every jounin of Konoha recommended their teams.

* * *

沙


	50. Rock Lee

测试

* * *

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out upon seeing her approach them at the Academy entrance. "You're late!"

"Uhh right! Sorry guys," Sakura smiled. "I had to pick something up."

"Hn." Sasuke snorted contemptuously. "Let's hope we didn't miss the Chuunin exams for real, this time." He turned and entered through the opened Academy doors as they followed him in.

* * *

测试

* * *

A bowl-cut haired boy in a green spandex suit was knocked to the floor by two older Chuunin. His name was Rock Lee.

"You're taking the Chuunin Exams but you can't even get past us? Give up now."

"Please let us through!" His female teammate, Tenten, pleaded before getting punched to the ground.

Sasuke snorted condescendingly. "Look at them. Their acting skills are worse than yours, dobe."

Insulted, Naruto halted himself from 'rescuing' those victims and turned towards Sasuke, raising his fists. "Oi! What's that supposed to mean, teme?!"

"He means they're pretending to be weak to intimidate other genin from taking the Exams," Sakura explained, "You really weren't going to fall for that, were you, Naruto?"

Naruto stuttered then blushed. "Uh yeah! I totally wasn't gonna rescue them! Ahaha."

Sakura grinned and pinched his cheeks.

"Ouui!"

"They're putting a show to distract us into thinking this is the Third Floor." Sakura explained, squeezing Naruto's cheeks into funny faces. "It's really the Second Floor."

"Pathetic." Sasuke closed his eyes. "Genin attempting to weed out other genin outside of the exams, because they're afraid of having more competition."

"You know that's only going to make it harder for you to pass, right?" Sakura had already approached them, and Rock Lee stood flabbergasted as Tenten raised her eyebrows.

"Huh?! When did she—" Naruto noticed that Sakura was at the other end of the room talking to those genin and whirled onto Sasuke, who was just as surprised.

"Tch. Looks like meiwaku beat you at playing 'Hero,' dobe."

"Teme, argh!" Naruto grabbed Sasuke and ran over to the genin group beside the door towards their teammate.

"Only weak genin would fall for this obvious genjutsu and act, and if you get rid of them, you'll only have the tough opponents to face. If you can't put on a good show, how will you become Chuunin?" Sakura lectured, placing her hands on her hips sternly. "Especially if retrieval or information gathering is a part of the Exams. I mean, unless you're super super strong with super awesome jutsu!" With a scolding expression, Sakura leaned close to Tenten, who backed off.

"H-Hey!" _She's right, I shouldn't be weeding out the only people I have a chance at beating. Maybe Neji can afford to do it, but me? _Tenten sighed, deciding to keep up her act. "You mean the door sign is fake?"

"Ugh, can't you see? The more people taking this exam, the higher your chances of passing!"

The two chuunin guarding the door watched the scene unfold, and frowned. After releasing the environmental genjutsu which changed the door sign from 301 to 201, Kotetsu cracked his knuckles. "Alright, you caught us red-handed. But can you handle _this_?!" He swung a kick towards Sakura, who positioned her feet into a defensive stance and reared back her fist.

Neither of their attacks landed, as the bushy browed boy appeared between them, blocking both hits with his forearms. "Please, stop!"

Caught unprepared, Sakura instantly paralyzed her chakra flow before it could strengthen her punch and possibly decapitate the boy. Pulling back her punch, she grasped her wrist and bit her lip. _Damn! That was close! I almost hurt this weirdo! _

**CHA! ENDED UP HURTING MYSELF! THIS BITES! **

_Do I even belong here? I remember Obito-kun saying…_

…_Why am I suddenly thinking about that stuff? Of course I belong here, I'm a genin taking the chuunin exams! _**This shock is making me think weird self-conscious thoughts! **Sakura noticed that her right arm was numb—no doubt she'd need to restore her nerves later.

A white-eyed boy standing at the back narrowed his eyes at Sakura, before approaching his bushy-browed teammate. "Hey, what happened to the plan? I thought you said we were to keep a low profile."

Naruto's eyes widened. _It's that Hyuuga that Sakura-chan, me and Sasuke-teme pranked! His screams are still recorded in Sakura-chan's glasses! _"Hahaahah! You're Neji right? You're so funny, hahaah!"

Neji narrowed his eyes, it was no surprise he was well-known, but with laughter rather than reverence? "What are you laughing at, Dead Last?"

"Hn." Sasuke came up beside Naruto, death glaring at the Hyuuga. "Only I'm allowed call the dobe that."

Sasuke couldn't hold back a smug smirk, though, and Neji narrowed his byakugan, perplexed that his intimidation had the opposite intended effect—these two Rookies were holding attempting to hold in their laughter. _Why are they looking at me like they know me in a humiliating way? _

Turning away from his rival teammate and the other chuunin, Rock Lee lowered his arms and faced Sakura, who had a displeased frown on her face as she mumbled indiscernibly something about 'slugs' and 'karma.'

"You're Sakura, right? My name is Rock Lee." He hesitated, deciding not to ask her to be his girlfriend, as right now she looked so gloomy, and Lee had more tact than that…"What's wrong?"

"Huh?" Snapped out of her inner thoughts, Sakura looked at Bushy-Brow. "A-Ah, it's nothing, really!" She waved her hands, forcing a small polite smile.

"That's a very unyouthful smile," Rock Lee lectured. "Do it like this!" Lee's grin split his face, all his teeth shining, as his hand formed a thumbs-up. It was a smile that defeated Naruto's—it lit up the whole room, causing some people to shudder as an indoor sunset seemed to emerge behind Lee. It was_ that_ magnificent a smile.

Sakura gasped, her previous impression of this weirdo thrown out the window. _T-That's the most charismatic smile ever! I have to learn it! _Trying it, Sakura grinned and copied his nice-guy pose.

Naruto stared between them, dumbfounded.

Lee gaped. "Wow…That's the awesome and the utmost youthful smile I've only ever seen on Gai-sensei!" Lee cheered, "I've _never _seen a girl smile like that before! I swear, I will protect that smile with my life!"

Sakura laughed awkwardly yet also with amusement, her face red in embarrassment as she rubbed the back of her head. "Ehehe, you smile like that too."

Lee gasped. "REALLY?! AWESOME!" Lee had tears of joy in his eyes that threatened to waterfall down his face. "YOU ARE THE MOST YOUTHFUL AND KIND GIRL ON THIS PLANET! WILL YOU GO OUT WITH ME?!"

Sakura laughed softly as Naruto had flames in his eyes. Sasuke turned to watch them.

She stopped laughing, thinking of Obito. "Sorry Lee, I can't...I like someone already."

**Forehead, are you sure it's a good idea to be in love with a dead ghost? **

**You're so going to age into an old hag while Obito-kun stays 12 forever!**

_Inner! I don't care about that stuff! I just want to see him again—that's all—I'm not going to be a pedophile when I eventually become an adult and perv on little Obito-kun! _

**Technically he's a ghost so that doesn't count. And right now you two are the same age, appearance-wise, so that doesn't count either. **

_Okay you know what, me having this conversation in my head is screwed up. So I'm going to stop talking to you, Inner. _

**Hah. You're already insane, Sakura. **

"Who do you like- who do you like?!" Naruto was shaking Sakura's shoulders. "Is it the TEME?"

"What? No!"

Naruto sighed in relief as Sasuke frowned.

"Is it someone either of us should worry about?" Sasuke asked, his implications of his own feelings obvious by his wording.

Too bad Sakura didn't catch on. "Nope," she said confidently. "It's just a spiritual connection."

_Spiritual, huh?_ Sasuke raised an eyebrow. _She was close to the elders of my clan. No doubt she involved herself in their daily prayers to dead ancestors and gods, this must be related to it. _Sasuke's thoughts briefly flickered to the Uchiha Stone Tablet inside the Naka Shrine. It mentioned something about a god: The Sage of Six Paths…and the method to achieve the Mangekyou Sharingan. He looked at Sakura and Naruto, and quashed the thought. _I'm not following that man's instructions; it's the same as admitting defeat to him._

Sakura bonked Naruto's head and Sasuke's too, before grabbing their hands. "C'mon, Naru, Sasu, let's go."

"Don't drag me, meiwaku-"

"Saku-chan!" Naruto sounded aloud, finding it interesting that they were removing the last syllable of each other's names—it made him feel so intimate. "Saku, Saku, Sak—"

"Dobe, shut up."

Up the staircase they went.

* * *

测试

* * *

Guarding the door to the real Exam room was their Jounin Sensei rather than more chuunin.

_Don't tell me he's not going to let us in…._

"Glad you came, Sakura," Kakashi smirked as she stopped in front of him, her teammates at her side. "For your sake, and the others. Now, you can all formally register for the Chuunin exams."

Sakura exhaled in relief. "Phew. And here I thought you were going to—"

"_Punish_ you?" Kakashi's eye twitched. "I _would_ have, for that_ little stunt_ you pulled earlier, but I'm sure the Exam itself will be more than sufficient; some people don't come out in one piece, you know."

Sakura shuddered, before rolling her eyes. "That's some reassurance, Sensei."

"We're going to ace this! Believe it!" Naruto fistpumped the air.

Sasuke stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Now let us through."

Kakashi sighed. "Very well." He looked thoughtful for a moment, and his bored expression slowly revealed fondness and a hint of pride.

"Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke," Kakashi's eye turned serious as all three of them straightened their backs, paying close attention to his words—the atmosphere had changed. "We've had a long journey as shinobi, risked our lives, and protected each other as we completed our missions. We're a team, will always be Team Seven. Even after you three make it chuunin. "

"Sasuke, I never expected you to come this far. After _'that man'_ took everything from you, you had nothing, and wanted nothing but revenge. You might have even lost yourself to darkness," Kakashi hummed. "That would have been a problem. But now, you have us, we who cherish you as family. Not only that, but together with your teammates, you have triple the strength you wouldn't have had alone."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, before breaking eye contact as he looked aside.

Sakura watched his reaction keenly. _Wow, if I didn't learn to carry my own weight, Kakashi would have just said 'double,' to irk me! _

"Don't let Itachi dominate your life. He deserves nothing more than a simple death from you, Sasuke. _You_ are your own pawn."

His head jerked to look his Sensei in the eye.

"And Naruto," Kakashi lazed his eye over to his blonde, ignoring Sasuke's apparent turmoil. "You…started out alone."

Naruto widened his cerulean eyes, gaping slightly.

"You had nothing, and now you have us. Well, now, I may not be the best 'family' material, but give your Sensei some credit." Kakashi hummed. "You and Sasuke, were the same like that; having absolutely nothing, but when together, you both had something. Neither of you have your parents," Kakashi eye-smiled. "But keep in mind, _bonds _are stronger than _blood_."

Naruto had no idea what Kakashi-sensei was talking about until the last sentence there. He stood like a gaping fish. _I guess I always wanted to meet my parents, I always wondered and wondered what they were like- and overlooked what I have here. _Naruto swallowed and looked Kakashi in the eye. "Me giving up my friends to get my parents back, if that's what you were implying, you are _so_ wrong, Kakashi-sensei!"

Sasuke watched Naruto silently.

"Oh no, no," Kakashi assured him. "I simply wanted to check your stance before making my decision. You act like a knucklehead, but you're ready. If I wasn't sure of that before, I am now." Kakashi smiled wistfully under his mask. Naruto resembled his father quite a bit when Minato was receiving a present. "After you pass the Chuunin exams, I'll tell you about your parents, your heritage."

Naruto gasped. "R-Real…"

"Just don't obsess over it to the point that it dominates your life," Kakashi warned him. Naruto's greatness wasn't from the Hokage's legacy, and that was something to be proud of- Kakashi wasn't going to change that. And...He was speaking from experience. His obsession over his dead father led to his obsession over rules, which led to...Obito's death. And so, he had planned to take the identity of Naruto's parents with him to the grave, until now...Naruto was ready, and even if he fell, he had teammates to lift him back up. _Your son has grown up, Sensei. _

Sasuke frowned, staring at his feet.

"YATTA!" Naruto jumped over and glomped Kakashi, who sweatdropped but ruffled the boy's hair fondly.

Sakura giggled before looking at Sasuke's reaction with concern. _Sasuke's probably thinking about his Uchiha family. Kakashi-sensei is right that it's best to move on and get a new family like us, but isn't it better to have both families? Obito-kun once said…_ Sakura frowned thoughtfully.

"And Sakura."

"Eep!" Staring through her orange goggles at Kakashi, she relaxed. It was her turn.

Kakashi's eye curled with mirth. "You know better than anyone what teamwork means." His gaze turned serious and thoughtful. "I think you're the one who brought us together spiritually, aside from the official team assignments that brought us together physically, which I admit, had a little favoritism." Kakashi murmured, poking the goggles in front of Sakura's eyes.

Sasuke noted the manner was eerily similar to the way Itachi used to poke his forehead. He turned thoughtful again.

"Ow!" Sakura exclaimed. "Well, I admit it wasn't my intention- Remember the first time we met, Naruto? I was a fangirl who discovered the art of 'stalking,' then things escalated and..." Flustered, Sakura rubbed the back of her head. "Eheheh, let's just not..."

Sasuke snorted. "Hn. Thankfully, you grew out of that stage, Meiwaku."

_Well, yeah, ever since I met Obito-kun...Shannaro...I miss him. _

Naruto choked. "Oi! Saku-chan 'grew out' of that 'cos she was depressed, just like you! Now things are different."

Sakura was depressed, right after the Massacre? How could he have forgotten about that for a second, when he met her at the cemetery? Sasuke looked at Sakura in new light once again._ She was one of...the Uchiha, even if not in blood._ Sasuke closed his eyes. "I was not depressed, dobe, I was angry at the murderer, which, you will tag along with me as the background when I track him down and kill him."

Naruto fiddled. He was supposed to watch Sasuke-teme kill his older brother? Well, he'd do it for the teme as a friend- _Wait! Me, watch, from sidelines, background?! Hey! TEME! _"Alright teme! I'll stand guard and save your ass and finish the job when you lose!"

Sasuke spluttered, before snorting. "That's if you don't knock yourself out first." He looked at Sakura. _Unlike Naruto, she doesn't want to fight, not even for revenge. I won't pressure her. _

Sakura sighed. "I suppose I'll have to tag along as well. With the level of stupid in this team, chances are both you and Naruto will need your butts saved, whether by my powerful fists or my amazing medical skills." Sakura cracked her knuckles. "But that doesn't mean you can_ use_ me whenever you please on a daily basis, I'm my own pawn as well."

Naruto and Sasuke gulped, while Kakashi chuckled. _She's got guts._

"Anyway," Kakashi continued. "There's nothing I have left to teach you, aside from new powerful Jutsu, of course," he added hastily before Naruto could get into his face, "I'm proud of you all."

Sakura's emerald eyes glimmered, tears threatening to spill, and as she glanced at Naruto, he was in the same condition. And, Sasuke was_ smiling. _

"Sakura," A hand reached towards her head, as Kakashi ruffled her pink locks fondly. "I think of you more as my daughter than a student."

Sakura sucked in a breath. The tears spilled out as she attempted to rub them off. "It's the sand, really!"

"You can't get sand through those goggles," Kakashi recited the same line he used decades ago.

"'Ttebayo! There was a Sand dude joining the Exams earlier! Believe it!" Naruto defended her.

Sakura swallowed. What was there to say? Her parents had been distant for as long as she could remember, and all she had was Obito to rely on, as a parental older-brother figure, right off the bat. It was only over time that she started to trust Naruto, and Sasuke...she trusted Sasuke. Kakashi was...an outsider. _Was. _Until now, or maybe as far back as the mission to Wave.

_He has the right idea, he doesn't force us to prioritize the mission over our teammates. Getting a heartless, cruel jounin-sensei was one thing I always worried about. ___I wonder if Zabuza went through that. _It's not a good thing according to the shinobi horror stories Obito-kun told me, although Obito said not to worry since Konoha was an exception- which he wanted to bring the rest of the world._ **But...how? Conquering the nations? Hah. Stop having blind faith in a mirage that might not even be real. How many years has it been? Five? Six? He's a memory that might never show up again! CHA! **

"I had a teammate once" Kakashi suddenly said. "He wanted to destroy the idea that being a shinobi means abandoning your friends." Kakashi's eye curled. "Then, he died."

Sakura looked at her Sensei right then. "Wh...What was...his name?"

Kakashi raised his eyebrow. That was the first thing she asks him? Shrugging it off as one of her spontaneous quirks, Kakashi murmured. "Obito Uchiha."

Sakura stood flabbergasted. It was... It was... She hadn't heard that name for so long.

_He was a real person, Inner._

**'Course! What, did you think you were insane? **

_N...No...I think Obito mentioned 'Kakashi' once, or twice, or a hundred times...I just wasn't sure if I remembered correctly. _

Suddenly, it all made sense. _They were teammates._ And...And...Kakashi was hers...Her sensei...It was more than she asked for.

"But you're alive, Sakura, as the next generation which surpasses the past one." Kakashi hummed. "You believe in the same thing, and I think, _this time,_ you can do it." _You've already recruited Zabuza and Haku._ "I think you'll change the shinobi system, no, the world."

_Wow. Kakashi really means what he says._ "And I won't do it alone." Sakura answered, glancing at Naruto and Sasuke. They nodded, and she felt one more person was missing, the one who should have been in the center of everything. He was the one who taught her all about empathy, peace, love, compassion, and evil. Judging by the look in Kakashi's eye, he probably felt the same way.

The same person taught them both the most important lesson, that they then taught the boys. The same person that was no longer around.

Swallowing, she sprinted forward and threw her arms around her Sensei's waist, earning a surprised gasp. Then, his hand patted the back of Sakura's head awkwardly as Kakashi muttered, "Don't get too mushy with me. You three were my kids to babysit rather than students to teach."

With that, Naruto burst into tears and threw his arms around Sakura's and Sasuke's shoulders, drawing the Uchiha into the group hug.

"Ugh, get off me, dobe!" Sasuke protested with a blush. But they were all happy, and they knew this was one of their last moments as a genin team. Although, hopefully becoming chuunin won't separate them- Nah, they'll make sure that doesn't happen.

"Ahem," Kakashi cleared his throat, detaching himself from the three genin as the group hug broke apart, "This took longer than expected; you might be late."

Sakura choked. Did she really miss the last of the genin walk past them? "C'mon, NaruSasu!" She weaved around Kakashi and kicked down the door.

Inside the classroom, was the majority of the students already settled into their seats in front of their exams as the last ones moved into their rows. Twenty adult ninja sat at the sidelines with clipboards.

"You're LATE!" The head proctor full of scars shouted. "I swear, your Sensei's habits—" He cleared his throat. As the head of the Torture and Interrogation Department, he wasn't going to let slip vital information in front of the genin from foreign nations, not over a small burst of anger. "My name is Ibiki Morino, your worst nightmare. You!" Ibiki pointed directly at Naruto who had a stupid grin on his face while Sakura was quivering and Sasuke frowning. He pointed at the empty seat directly, inches, in front of him at the head of the classroom. "Will be taking this seat."

Naruto shrieked.

At the back of the classroom, Yakushi Kabuto broke his pencil, not paying attention to the scene. He purposely arrived early in hopes of encountering Team Seven, Uchiha Sasuke in particular, and develop a small sense of trust before the danger sets in, but that will have to wait. Hopefully, it wouldn't be too late for him.

Sakura merely facepalmed with a hand, her other smacked Naruto's shoulder, which did wonders in calming his nerves; Naruto even smiled at Sakura. "Don't worry 'bout me, Saku-chan, do your best! Dattebayo!"

"Yeah, yeah," Sakura answered as was led by a proctor to take an empty seat in the middle of the class. She looked beside her and saw- Hinata Hyuuga. "U-Uh, hey!"

"NO TALKING!" Ibiki barked.

Sakura eep'ed and went quiet with a red face, while Hinata curled herself into a ball.

Sasuke was seated beside Kabuto.

Ibiki looked at the timer. "Begin!"

Pencils started flying on paper.

* * *

测试

* * *

**Author Note**: Sorry for the SUPER late update; it's June and May and I'm taking SAT/ACT/AP Exams/Regents/and some more stuff idk. Those are important so..I wish I had more time! Thanks for keeping up with me, I love you guys. :D


	51. Yamanaka Betrayal

**Author Note:** I didn't know I was going to update after 1 day again but I did. Thanks to your reviews!

Neleothesze made fanart! YAAYYY!

tinyurl com/n2my92j and tinyurl com/mzt34v3 I like it so much.

I'm so happy I think I'll update tomorrow. There's an important plot point that needs to be written down before I forget. On w/ the story:

* * *

赌博

* * *

_ If they __**catch **__you five times, you'll be dismissed before the test is even scored. Anyone foolish enough to be __**caught **__cheating by the sentinels doesn't deserve to be here. _

_If any candidate gets a zero…the entire team fails. _

1 hour total…

"Begin!"

* * *

赌博

* * *

Sakura looked over her exam, twirling her green pencil around her finger.

_These are integrated problems based on principals of uncertainty and require complex mechanical energy analysis. Incredibly advanced stuff. Forget Naruto, there can't be more than a handful of people in here besides me who even understand it. _

She peered from her exam to the front of the class, where Naruto was hyperventilating while caught in a glaring contest with the head proctor. He had no chance of cheating and he wasn't an academic, either way he was going to get them thrown out.

Hissing, Sakura clenched her pencil and hunched over her exam paper.

_Each problem is more difficult than the one before. _**Naruto's gonna blow it like the idiot he is! **

Bristling in rage, Sakura's pencil wood started forming micro-cracks as she clenched and unclenched her other fist. The entire room could feel the slither of her fury, including Gaara, who kept his eyes down as he kept an "eye" on Sakura like a fascinating specimen.

The redhead had made a hand seal and an eyeball floated around the air, hovering around the pinkette who was doing her best to ignore it.

**Ugh! You think I'll get in trouble if I throw this pencil to pop the floating eyeball? **_Ew, that's disgusting, Inner! _

"S-Sakura-c-chan," Hinata gently nudged Sakura's arm, and was met by askance emerald eyes underneath reddish brown goggles. "I-If you want…um…I could show…you my test."

**Huh?! Why would I cheat off you, does it look like I'm stupid?!**

_Um, Inner, I think she mistook my anger at Naruto for anger that I don't know the answers. _

**Yeah?! Still, why risk getting caught to help me or deceive me?! I hardly talked to her except that one time with Ino-pig! **

_Yeah, why me? _Sakura wondered. _I'd understand if she offered Naruto, that idiot's her weakness, but me? She should be seeing me as competition, seeing that Naruto likes…me._ Sakura frowned. Does Naruto still like her? Does she like Naruto? What about Sasuke?

**Stop, Forehead, your thoughts are wandering. Your one true love is a dead ghost and there's nothing you can do about it, give it up. You'll be a virgin hermit for the rest of your life while Naruto gets Hinata and Sasuke gets Ino. **

_Speak for yourself, Inner! Your thoughts are wandering, and Sasuke thinks fangirls are annoying, including Ino-pig! _

**He calls you annoying. **

Sakura huffed. Leave it to her Inner to get the last word in.

Although, the fact that Sakura allowed her mind(s) to wander like this meant she wasn't even taking the exam seriously.

_Ah shit! Hinata's still waiting!_ She faked a tentative smile at Hinata, still feeling cautious and uneasy. "U-Uh, why would you want to help me?" Sakura whispered.

"Why? Well…" Hinata hesitated. "Just because…well…you see…it's just…it's because I don't want you to have to leave…because…"

**Because Naruto would leave then?! **

Hinata curled her fingers, her bangs falling over her milky eyes. "A..Ano…it's because you…showed me…what it's like to be strong-willed…up close…and personal…." That was something Naruto couldn't do, as he never even noticed Hinata in the first place, which she was okay with—a weakling like her didn't deserve to get acknowledgement from _anyone_, much less someone like Naruto. All she had of value was her Hyuuga title.

Until Sakura showed her she was someone important, she was one of them—she was just as good as the other two rookie kunoichi to be included. Ino and Sakura were rivals with a long history, and yet they still took notice of and included her on their date….They didn't have to, they could have asked one of their teammates to come along. Hinata had her own teammates too, but Kiba and Shino tended to leave her alone outside of missions, which was no surprise since her father was slightly intimidating—but the two girls had sneaked into her Compound, penetrated the deepest defenses of Konoha without getting caught, just to include her in their friendship day.

…

Hinata would never forget that day—it gave her the self-confidence she needed and lifted a weight off her shoulders. She could do this. If she could make Sakura and Ino proud, she could make everyone else proud, Naruto and the Hyuuga clan.

She just needed to work hard—even she could emulate Naruto if she tried. Sakura had shown her that much. Hinata would try her best.

The least she could do was repay the girl who pulled her out of her shell, in any way she can—though nothing could repay that valuable act of kindness.

"because…we are…friends…and you changed me…I always watched Naruto-kun…hoping to change…hoping to catch up and walk beside him…but those were just empty hopes…I could never build the guts to do it…never change…I thought I'd stay weak…that I'd never be able to do it…but you…believed otherwise…I believed in Naruto-kun and hoped I would become like him, but I didn't believe I could actually do it, I didn't believe in myself… I-I was never going to change, it was like watching him get torn to shreds but pick himself back up by his sheer willpower, while knowing I would never become strong enough to do the same…I was only the background…But you believed in me, that even I…could become…a heroine." Hinata whispered. "N-No one's ever done that before."

Hinata smiled slightly, looking down. "A-And…I believe in the you that believes in me."

Sakura stared at Hinata as if she'd grown a second head. Then, she blinked. Then, she reached over, and petted Hinata's hair, earning a blush.

"Honestly, you must have been a real idiot to hope to copy that dumbass just by watching him without taking action to help your own self," Sakura lectured, "but I'm really glad you saw him for who he is. Everyone else tends to just hate Naruto—I used to be one of them, so who am I to talk? But you're special, Hinata-chan, you have perceptive eyes. In fact, I think your eyes are sharper than mine," Sakura shrugged, "Maybe you noticed the good points inside Naruto long before I did."

Hinata smiled.

"Being a ninja isn't all about strength," Sakura continued, "If you have compassion for others or any special feelings or dreams, that's priceless, don't ever give it up. What's the point of sacrificing the only thing that makes you human in order to become a village's tool? Totally not worth it," Sakura waved a hand in dismissal, "that's why no one should ever abandon their comrades, because that turns them into monsters worse than scum."

"Hinata, being powerful is important for a lot of things," Sakura cracked her knuckles. "But having power is worthless if you lose your heart, because you don't feel any need to use that power and that leaves others to exploit it, like the village for example." _That's why Obito-kun said the Bloody Mist's Graduation Exam existed to try to destroy your emotions, or some secret ANBU training programs. I'm not sure if Konoha has one like that, but Obito said for sure the other villages do. _"So don't give that up. Stay the way you are, believe in the things you believe in, and become strong to protect the people and things you care about."

Hinata swallowed. Sakura was telling her to keep her emotions? That went against the elders…

But it also meant Hinata wasn't wrong like they said. Sakura made good points. If she became apathetic like they wanted, she wouldn't have cared if others used her as a tool.

_That's it. From now on, I'm doing things my own way_, Hinata resolved, curling her fists. "Thank you, Sakura." Her stuttering had stopped, although her voice still soft. "For everything."

Sakura rubbed the back of her head. "A-Ah, I was just saying the ultimate truth," she smiled. "I don't need your answers, Hinata. First off, I wouldn't want you to get in trouble if I get caught." Sakura's smile widened. "Secondly, I'm not an idiot like Naruto. I can do this. Keep believing in me."

Hinata's eyes widened. "A-Ah…O-Okay…I-In that case…" She turned her answer sheet over on its back, before fiddling with her fingers. "I don't know how you'll do it…but good luck."

"Hah." Sakura smirked arrogantly before raising her pencil, slamming it onto the paper as she started solving the equations at a rapid pace.

Hinata's eyes widened further. _S-She's actually cranking it all out. S-She's not cheating._

Ten of the special jounin at the sidelines wondered whether to mark the Haruno and Hyuuga girls down for cheating, but they lipread their conversation—it was only smalltalk—though there were some questionable opinions spoken. Thoughts like that were unsuitable for ninja, unless this was an ideal world. But it wasn't, the world was cruel, and the pink haired girl needed to get a taste of reality before she started converting other shinobi into becoming unfit for dirty work.

Though, they'd heard rumors about her converting Zabuza into their side. One of them spotted Zabuza asleep near the corner of the classroom, while his girly teammate sat at the other side playing with ice mirrors. That wouldn't be considered cheating, as it wasn't made obvious.

With that thought in mind, they decided it wasn't their place to wipe that idealism out of the girl. It was her sensei's duty. And with age, she would grow out of it.

And so, none of the sentinels marked Sakura or Hinata down for cheating.

Although it was creepy how a child knew all the answers immediately—did she spend 8 hours per night studying complicated material for 8 years, or was she that smart?

_She would have been perfect for the intelligence department without that pesky idealism. Soon enough anyway, if she passes. _A proctor observed, before barking, "Numbers 39, 78, and 46 OUT!"

With some resistance from the caught genin as they were thrown out, his co-proctors began calling others out.

Ibiki in particular glared down at Naruto, before deciding to turn his back and face the chalkboard. _Fun as it may be, the wimp's not going to cheat with me towering over him. _

...

Naruto gasped. Now's his chance!

A kunai was thrown to the exam paper beside his, as a boy was called out to leave. Apparently he had the same idea as Naruto, cheated and got caught.

_Dammit! I'll get caught just like that guy, what do I do what do I do?!_

Sasuke frowned, his thoughts going along the same lines as Naruto's. He didn't have the advantage of his Sharingan _yet,_ was he so weak? Itachi mastered his Sharingan at age 8. Sasuke tore his eyes from Naruto's trembling and stared instead at Sakura._ Huh. That nerd actually solving answers, she doesn't even need to cheat. Her brain's compensating for her physical weakness. _ Sasuke decided he would have to wait, there had to be some way for the Annoyance to pass her answers onto them.

An older genin with round glasses and silver hair tied in a ponytail nudged his arm. Sasuke glared back in question.

"I'm Kabuto Yakushi, a fellow leaf shinobi," he immediately introduced himself. "I'm hoping we can stick together like leaves of the tree. I'll give you my answers."

"What do you want in return?" Sasuke narrowed his gaze.

Kabuto smiled. "Heheh. What makes you think I want anything? Konoha preaches teamwork and unity; I'm merely following the Will of Fire. Is there something wrong with that?"

"...No," Sasuke allowed. He spared a glance at Naruto, who looked completely hopeless. "But no thanks. We'll just get caught."

"What about your eyes?" Kabuto asked eagerly, "Can't you use them to-"

"_Shut up._"

Kabuto recoiled. "You still have five free strikes-"

Sasuke narrowed a death glare. He was beyond pissed that this outsider mentioned the eyes he did not have- And now he was trying to get into his good graces? _Another Konoha fanboy._

So what would he do? What he always did when it involved fangirls.

Sasuke closed his eyes smugly as he turned his head away, ignoring Kabuto with well-practiced grace.

He didn't notice Kabuto gritting his teeth in fury and clenching his fists so tightly to the point it bled.

* * *

赌博

* * *

Meanwhile...

Near the back of the classroom, Ino raised her hands into a triangular seal over the circle crest at Sakura's back, and smirked.

She had no idea...a mental battle was coming...that would change everything.

* * *

赌博


	52. Kurama

心理

* * *

Near the back of the classroom, Ino raised her hands into a triangular seal over the circle crest at Sakura's back. _You oughta be flattered, girl. I don't choose just anyone for my mind-transfer jutsu. _

As Sakura finished her exam, she felt a familiar push at her mind. _Obito?!_ **OH MY GOD, HE'S BACK! **_Let him in, Inner! _

**Inner** Sakura had a wide grin on her face as she crossed her arms, waiting expectantly while removing the mental barriers. It was complete darkness, so no one woould have seen the mind shields. The only non-black thing around was her own giant white chalk outline and sometimes, Outer Sakura's body when she decided to enter her mindscape—there was also Obito a long time ago. Outer Sakura and Obito were the only 'real bodies' with realistic colors—Inner Sakura was just black and white, like a chalk outline on a black chalkboard being the mindscape. Inner wondered if it was possible for Gaara's Inner to enter Sakura's mindscape. She didn't know Gaara's "Inner" was actually the One-Tails so that notion was impossible.

Strangely, Obito was taking his time, and Outer Sakura's presence suddenly vanished—replaced with…**Ino?!**

* * *

心理

* * *

Ino glanced around, in full control of Sakura's body. _Perfect!_ She picked up the answer sheet. _Now I gotta memorize these answers and pass them onto Shikamaru and Cho_—_Ugh!_

Everything went black, and Ino found herself trapped in agonizing darkness. _Am I dead?_ _Where's Sakura's brain? How come I'm not in control of her body? Where am I? I can't see a thing—WHOA! _Ino gaped at a giant towering mirage stomping towards her. _S-Sakura?_

**GRRH! I SHOULD'VE KNOWN IT WAS YOU! TRICKING ME LIKE THAT—that's your clan's specialty! NOW GET OUTTA MY MIND! **

Inner Sakura grasped the tiny-doll-sized Ino into her giant hands and squeezed her in a chokehold.

"What the fuck, this hurts!" Ino shrieked, uttering her first profanity in years. "Impossible! How could you have two spirits inside of you?! You're a monster!" _I gotta cancel the jutsu and get outta here before she kills me!_ Ino wrung her hands together to cancel her technique, then her spirit was flying out of Sakura's dark mindscape…Only to bang into an invisible wall.

"OW! How the hell…" Ino tried to get past, to escape this crazy mind, but the barrier covered Sakura's entire brain. It was almost like someone had trained Sakura exclusively to block out mental attacks. She'd never seen anything like it—maybe her father might be able too—

Suddenly, a giant hand grabbed Ino by her waist again and held her high in the air. Ino struggled under the Inner's grip.

"**LISTEN UP, INO-PIG! Naruto and Sasuke have no way of getting the test answers, so you're going to teach me your jutsu!" **

"What! No!" At Sakura's unwavering glare, Ino tried a different approach. "Aren't we friends?"

**We're rivals too, and right now, I'm winning this one over you!**

"It's my Hiden clan technique! Dad will kill me if I teach it to an outsider!"

Inner Sakura rolled her eyes. **Yeah, I'm sure he'd be proud of you for choosing to die instead of teaching a classmate how to cheat on a test, pig! **

"Me? Die?" Ino narrowed her eyes. "You're the one who's going to die, bitch!"

* * *

~Outside Sakura's mind~

* * *

Sakura had her forehead on her exam paper as she whimpered quietly. Beside her, Hinata glanced at the girl with worry. _She finished her test, but now she looks s-sick._

A few rows away, Shikamaru propped his chin on his head and watched Sakura. Ino had fainted, which means she's entered the class nerd's mind, but what was taking her so long, and what was Ino doing making Sakura act like a kicked, suffering puppy? _Wait, don't tell me she's…_

Shikamaru glanced at Ino's real body, and noticed the girl's flawless arms had bleeding scratches and cuts, blood sinking into her test sheet. _It's the drawback! Any damage that happens to her victim's body transfers to her actual body! _

Turning his eyes, Shikamaru squinted at Sakura's arms, which were completely unscathed. _How is this possible? There should be cut marks on Sakura's body; at least that would explain how Ino got her body damage, but there aren't any! Where's the damage coming from? This entire matter is troublesome. If I don't find the source of Ino's hurt, she's going to be in trouble! _

Sakura pulled out a kunai, and pointed it towards her own face.

_Oh shit…That's definitely not Ino. Sakura is planning to scar her own face and in turn scar Ino. She knows Ino takes aesthetics seriously. This is blackmail! No…wait… _

Sakura had pulled up her goggles, and the kunai was moving towards her green eye.

Shikamaru held his breath. _This can't be._

* * *

心理

* * *

Ino laid tied up by tight white ropes, bruised and cut. She was missing a spiritual limb or two, and she was completely beaten up.

They had a taijutsu/slaughter fight within Sakura's mindscape, and of course Sakura won. Ino's spirit had never physically battled another spirit.

Inner Sakura exhaled. This was really happening. Using his constant mind invasions (genjutsu,) Obito had forced her mindscape to build a defense mechanism, a barrier to keep foreign spirits out, and consequently, contain everything inside—including information. Obito had been desperate on keeping his existence secret, and that required building up Sakura's Inner defense to keep people like the Uchiha and Yamanaka from peering inside her mind. He also trained her mentally, when the Outer Sakura was physically exhausted—he continued their spars within her mind. It was all theory, really, although her Inner spirit had to exercise and fight Obito's ghost.

Sakura was omnipotent within her own mind, and so she enlarged herself and grabbed Ino's body again. "**Pig, your real body is sustaining damage from your mental pain." **

Ino rolled her eyes. "You ripped off my arm, but all I got was a few cuts. I don't feel any pain since none of this is physical plus I'm Yamanaka Inoichi's daughter, with the strongest mind ever! Also, you can't kill a spirit, so give it up, Forehead. In fact, even if you ripped off my head, my real body's only going to feel a tickle."

Inner Sakura raised an eyebrow. **You know I can enter my real body and remove one of my eyes—**

"Y-You wouldn't—"

**Oh believe me, I can easily transplant it back in place by the micrometer. I had a lot of practice.** Inner wondered if Obito could predict the future and if this was exactly what he trained her for—it was a very specific task that had little to no uses, until right now with this one rare situation. **Try me. **

Outside her mind, Outer Sakura pulled out a kunai and moved it towards her eye.

"I give, I give!" Ino screamed. She didn't want her eyes torn off—it was a risky procedure and she didn't trust any medic-nin to do their job properly in returning them.

Sakura stopped.

* * *

心理

* * *

_Ugh._ Shikamaru grunted, his hand formed into the rat seal. _Shadow Possession Jutsu, complete._ Now he had Sakura in the same position as him, the kunai dropped to the desk, and out of reach from her face. Ino was not losing any eyeballs today.

Shikamaru bit his lip, though. He easily guessed Sakura's plan. The girl was doing every thing she can to dig the secrets of Ino's techniques out of her. It was not only disrespectful, but disgusting. Shikamaru bit his lip harder in anger, drawing blood.

!

Sakura bit her lip, drawing blood, and Ino's lip started bleeding.

_Crap, I just tarnished Ino's face!_

* * *

心理

* * *

Ino sighed in relief. "Shikamaru, I owe you one." Considerably calmed down, since the threat was gone, Ino regained her confidence. She could trust Shikamaru to hold up his shadow possession technique until the end of the exam, to which they'll be leaving. She didn't have to spill any clan secrets. "Well, it looks like it's game over for you, Forehead. You can't touch me."

Inner frowned. "**Everyone tells me I have an affinity for genjutsu because of my sharp mind and chakra control. But that only scratches the surface; they don't know I have absolute control over my mindscape."** Thanks to Obito's training.

_So I should be immune to genjutsu, right? _** Inner **wondered whether that included Sharingan genjutsu.

"**Anyway, it's my brain—three days in here can be one second outside. It all depends on perception**," Inner Sakura added as an afterthought. "**You should try it sometime.**"

Ino narrowed her eyes_. God, that means I can't wait it out. She'll make an hour of the exam time last one year inside here. I'm a Yamanaka, I can handle this mental torture. _

3 days of total darkness later

Only 1 second went by in reality

"Fine! Listen up, Forehead! I'll teach you, but you owe me one!"

Inner Sakura shook her head. "**This is a completely fair trade. I give you my answers, you give me your cheating method."**

"Fair my ass, Forehead," Ino retorted.

Inner frowned. "**Listen, pig, I only need your technique just this once for the test- I won't use it afterwards unless I'm on the verge of death or something; no one will ever find out. 'cuz my goal is to surpass you, Ino. I can't do that by copying your fighting style; I have my own!" **

Ino blinked. It was also true that Sakura would in trouble with the authorities if she used Yamanaka techniques, so what was the harm in teaching her something she won't ever use? Ino snorted. "You still owe me one. Here's the instructions, and I'm only saying this once…"

6 mental months later

* * *

心理

* * *

Shikamaru noticed movement coming from Ino's body as the blonde picked her head up, and released the shadow possession jutsu. Panting hard, he slumped on his seat. _Man, this is so troublesome. My time limit was fifteen minutes, and now I'm completely exhausted. I might not be able to walk without leaning on Choji._ Shikamaru's time limit was actually twenty five minutes; it just wasn't a good idea to have Ino enter his mind and screw something up while he was still holding up the jutsu. Shadows were dangerous things.

Ino finished recording her answers, before forming the triangular seal and flying her spirit into Shikamaru's body.

He hated when this happens. Maybe he should have bothered to lift his pencil and crank out all his answers the same way Sakura did hers, or used a light shadow possession on one of those fake genin recording his answers.

_Ah well, life is troublesome._

_"SHIKAMARU! I HATE I HATE I HATE FOREHEAD BITCH BILLBOARD BROW SHE FUCKING STOLE MY-"  
_

"_SO DAMN LOUD INO!"_ Shikamaru clasped his hands over his ears, in vain.

* * *

心理

* * *

_Sasuke's sitting behind me,_ Sakura noted, _wouldn't that be cheating if I faced him for one second?_ **No, there's the 5 strikes policy. I'll only get 1 strike for cheating, if they even count looking at the back of the class as cheating. **Sakura copied Ino's seal as she turned around on her seat, and sent her spirit flying into Sasuke's head.

_Wait, what just happened? _Sakura lowered her hands. _Why am I still here, did I fail the jutsu? But we did a test run and...No, something's off. Inner?_

Inner Sakura didn't answer.

_Inner!_

* * *

心理

* * *

Sasuke widened his eyes, dropping his pencils.

**ALL RIGHT! YOU STUCK UP PRICK, LIFT YOUR PANSY PENCIL AND WRITE 'THE VELOCITY OF SHURIKEN 7 UNDER LIGHTNING CHAKRA IS FIVE METERS PER MILISECOND IN THE TRAJECTORY OF—' **

Sasuke caught on, gripped his head with a hand and started writing with his other. This was Sakura's voice but it was abstinent and arrogant with its words. Hopefully the voice didn't scour…

**EEP! I did not want to see that! **

His memories of_ that night_. Sasuke put down his pencil, and said. "Alright, get out of my mind, annoyance."

**Didn't even have to ask, bastard! **Inner retorted as she vanished.

* * *

心理

* * *

Sakura decided she'd lost her Inner permanently, which she was not sure was a good or bad thing. Regardless, she reformed Ino's seal and pointed it towards Naruto, who had his head on his desk as if he'd given up.

_Giving up isn't your style, Naru. I'll save you. _

Sakura sent herself into Naruto's mindscape, only it wasn't darkness like her. There was a dull orange light, and she was inside a sewer system. The water went up to her knees, and as she walked around searching for Naruto, she found herself in front of giant pillars forming an iron cage.

_No…way. _

A giant demon red eye opened, and a sneer revealed deadly sharp teeth larger than her body. This was a monster the size of a mountain.

Suddenly, a second red eye open as the maws widened, nine giant tails swinging into visibility as the caged creature stood onto its feet. _It's the Kyuubi. _

"**MADARA UCHIHA**," the orange Fox accused, its demonic eyes on Sakura. "**IT SEEMS WE FINALLY MEET AGAIN**."

"Eep! I'm not Madara, I swear!" Sakura shouted on impulse, backing away just in time as a claw banged through the bars of the cage, almost severing her in half.

Hands on knees, Sakura panted hard. _Oh my god._

"**YOU, NOT MADARA? YOU HAVE THE SAME EYES AND AURA AS THAT MONGREL! YOU MAY BE A 'GENJUTSU MASTER,' BUT YOU CAN'T FOOL ME!**"

"Listen, I'm not Madara!" Sakura was getting mad as she recalled the lessons from Iruka-sensei. _Well, I suppose it makes sense for an ancient being like the Kyuubi to know about ancient historical figures like Madara Uchiha who helped found Konoha. _

"I take it seriously when someone accuses me for impersonification!" She was so not going through that again, not when Obito initially accused her for the same thing. "I'm not even an Uchiha!"

Kurama snorted. Seconds earlier this little human was scared out of her wits, and now she was trying to banter with him? And now she was trying to banter with him? He was starting to like this one.

Kurama was not one to go against his gut feeling, but it seemed this was the one exception that his gut was wrong- the pinkette being Madara was impossible- He'd watched Naruto grow up and knew who she was- She was certainly not the man who sealed him in an eternal cage.

**"NOT THAT I'M INTERESTED, BUT IF YOU'RE NOT AN UCHIHA, ******HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE**?" **

"Ah, well," Sakura rubbed the back her her head, "I kinda wanted to give Naruto my answers without getting caught so I got Ino to teach me her mind-transfer jutsu. Then I used it on Naruto and ended up here. What about you, why are you here?" She bit her tongue- regretting her question as soon as it slipped her mouth, it just flowed naturally with the conversation. No, she _was_ curious on the Kyuubi's perspective.

Kurama snorted, gaseous fumes flying into her face as she squeaked. What was the harm in telling her? He was bored sitting around all day, she could be useful entertainment. As long as_ he_ was the one using this human; and not the other way around. He would never lower himself into a human's pet, not Madara's, not Mito's, not Kushina's, not Naruto's. And this human seemed mentally damaged, she became overly familiarized with him within seconds despite his massive killing intent- What history did this human live through to end up losing an essential survival instinct; fear? Then the Kyuubi remembered Zabuza, Haku, and Gaara.

There was also Obito (of course) but Kurama didn't know that.

"**VERY WELL, I SHALL TELL YOU SINCE YOU AMUSE ME. TAKE A SEAT, WE WILL BE HERE FOR A WHILE." **

Sakura propped herself atop the water's surface.

**"A MAN NAMED MADARA UCHIHA AWOKE ME FROM MY PEACEFUL...NO...I SHALL START FROM THE BEGINNING." **The Kyuubi retracted. "**THERE WAS AN OLD MAN SIX PATHS..."**

"The Sage of Six Paths! I'd only heard about him in legends, he was real?!"_  
_

"**OF COURSE HE WAS REAL, IGNORANT LITTLE HUMAN." **Kurama glared at the ant-sized child. "**I AM THE STRONGEST BIJUU OUT OF EIGHT OTHERS, AND WE WERE ONE BEAST, THE JUUBI. THE OLD MAN DEFEATED THE JUUBI AND SPLIT US INTO NINE CONSCIOUSNESSES, ME BEING THE STRONGEST. WE WERE FREER THAN WE ONCE WERE; I LIVED THE WAY I CHOSE AND I WAS RESPECTFULLY LEFT ALONE. THE OLD MAN SIX PATHS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE UN-HUMAN AND IMMORTAL; HE ONLY CHOSE TO DIE BECAUSE HE HAD FAITH IN 'FUTURE GENERATIONS.' AND LOOK WHERE THAT LANDED ME?" **

Sakura gaped. The Kyuubi was SO much better than Iruka-sensei! Iruka-sensei was only a secondary source, but the Kyuubi was a primary source! Her mind carefully stored the Fox's words into her long-term memory for later interpretation.

"**DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, MADARA UCHIHA SNUCK BEHIND ME AND CAUGHT ME IN HIS GENJUTSU. I WAS USED TO FIGHT HASHIRAMA SENJU-" **

"Hold on!" Sakura intercepted. "You were being controlled? Wait, does that mean twelve years ago during the Nine Tails Attack, you were also-"

**"INTERRUPT ME ONCE MORE AND I WILL DESTROY YOU."  
**"Sorry," Sakura eep'd.

Kurama was taken aback. Sure her apology was forced out, but a human apologizing to a Bijuu? That was a first. Hell, a human listening to a Bijuu's story was a first. With a lower tone that was still loud, Kurama continued. "**"DESPITE USING MY VAST POWERS, MADARA LOST THE BATTLE AND RAN AWAY. I WAS TAKEN AND SEALED INSIDE AN UZUMAKI VESSEL FOR A CENTURY."  
**

"Mito Uzumaki," Sakura labeled.

**"DON'T REMIND ME." **Kurama growled. "**AFTER THE HUMAN'S LIFETIME EXPIRED, I WAS PASSED DOWN TO MINATO'S WIFE." **His voice grew angrier by the second. "**KUSHINA UZUMAKI WAS A HOTHEAD WHO THOUGHT HER 'LOVE FOR MINATO' COULD CONTROL ME. IT WAS HER CURSED BLOODLINE CHAINS!" **

"M-Minato? B-Bloodline chains?" Sakura was now rapidly scribbling notes down on a book she pulled out of nowhere (probably from her chakra since this was Naruto's mindscape.) The implications...this can't be...there was so many theories running through her head, and she was good at theories. She needed more information. "Continue, please!"

**"SHE WAS GIVING BIRTH, AND EVENTUALLY THE INFANT WAS TO BE MY NEXT CAGE. I AM NOT A LOWLY ITEM TO BE PASSED DOWN, HUMAN TO HUMAN, SO IMAGINE HOW I FELT WHEN I WAS FREED." **

Sakura widened her eyes.

"**IT WAS MADARA UCHIHA; THEY HAD THE SAME EYES. HE HAD WEAKENED, BUT THAT MADE NO DIFFERENCE; IT WASN'T HIS POWER THAT DEFEATED ME- IT NEVER WAS; I WAS ALWAYS STRONGER THAN MADARA, IN HIS PRIME AND IN HIS OLD AGE. IT WAS ONLY THE GENJUTSU." **Kurama grumbled, leaking killing intent that Sakura steadily ignored despite her mental body's weakening state. "**AGAIN, HE TOOK ME BY CONTROL TO DESTROY KONOHA. I WOULD HAVE DONE THAT EVEN WITHOUT THE GENJUTSU, SO IT WASN'T THE ACTION THAT PISSED ME** **OFF,**" Kurama added hastily before Sakura could think of him as a Konoha-supporter. "**IT WAS THE PROSPECT OF BEING CONTROLLED AGAIN."**

Sakura frowned. "That sucks."

**"OF COURSE IT DID! IT WAS WORST WHEN MINATO RESEALED ME INTO THE INFANT. I DIDN'T EVEN GET TO GLOAT OVER KILLING HIM AND HIS WIFE- THEY WERE ALREADY DYING FROM THE SEAL AND EXTRACTION."**

"Huh?! So you didn't kill them?!" Sakura jumped to her feet. "And- that means Naruto is a _real_ Uzumaki!" Sakura completely missed the fact that Naruto was also the Yondaime Hokage's son. "That explains why he's so good at sealing! I have to get more fuuinjutsu scrolls for him! He's going to be the best!" Sakura crossed her arms. "Naruto 'acts like a knucklehead' but he's actually good at studying when it involves seals, you know. Like a natural affinity!"

Kurama stared at her strangely. She appeared very invested in his vessel, but throughout Naruto's life, she'd always taken the boy for granted. Why the change now?

"Who knows, maybe if he gets really good at sealing, he could fix some of your problems?" Sakura looked thoughtful. "Well, obviously you can't be freed because someone else will capture you, so better here than there."

**"FOOL!" **

"You're right, I'm a complete fool. I don't know how to deal with your problem." Sakura slumped. "What's more, you're completely innocent! I know you have lots of hatred and _would_ have done bad things, but that doesn't change the fact that you didn't act upon any of it by your own free will."

Kurama narrowed his eyes.

Sakura brightened up. "But get this, I think you can be freed. I just need to get the world peace aspect down first, so that no one bothers to capture you for war anymore. Then, Naruto gets good at fuuinjutsu and sets you free in a way that doesn't kill him. Right, what do you think?!" Sakura walked up close, looking into Kurama's eyes.

Kurama stared at the girl, flabbergasted.

"What are you going to do once you're free?"

**"..."** She said 'once' rather than 'if,' and Kurama had to applaud her arrogance, "**YOU THINK YOU CAN STOP ALL CONFLICT. YOU THINK YOU CAN SUCCEED IN WHAT THE OLD MAN SIX PATHS FAILED IN?" **

Sakura hesitated,_ it does sound grand_, but she clenched her fists. Obito-kun was trying his best, and Kurama was relying on her. She was_ not_ letting them down. Sakura grinned, giving him a thumbs-up. "Yup!" Pulling her hand back to point at her goggles with her thumb, she added, "Just watch me."

Kurama propped his head down on a paw.

"So, aren't you going to tell me?" Sakura goaded.

"**ALRIGHT, I'LL_ INDULGE_ YOU." **Sighing, he began. **"THE FIRST THING I SHALL DO IS GET AS FAR FROM HUMANS AS POSSIBLE; ENTER A SUMMONING REALM IF I HAVE TO. I'LL GO SOMEWHERE VERDANT AND LUSH; A FOREST WITH TREES LARGER THAN MYSELF. AWAY. FROM. HUMANS." **

"Won't you get lonely?"

Kurama snorted.

"Are your other Bijuu friends coming?"

**"THEY'RE NOT MY FRIENDS. THE HACHIBI KISSES UP TO ITS VESSEL, THE ICHIBI IS A DROOLING_ ANIMAL_, ALL OF THEM HAVE FORGOTTEN THEIR ORIGINS." **Kurama added. "**I'LL MAKE SURE TO STAY AWAY FROM THEM TOO." **

"Well...okay," Sakura acquiesced. "But if you get lonely, come to me. Or I'll get you. Whichever one."

Kurama huffed.

"I think you _should_ support Naruto's dream of becoming the Hokage." Sakura mused. "You have to have power to enforce peace, and that leadership role would give him a lot of flexibility."

**"SHOULDN'T YOU AIM FOR THAT GOAL YOURSELF?**

Sakura raised her pink eyebrows. "You're in Naruto's body." Her implications were obvious; Kurama was capable of lending Naruto his chakra, not her, so he should help Naruto instead. "Naruto hates injustice as much as I do, eventually he's going to strive for peace. Even if he doesn't do it now, he will in the future. He's that kind of person, believe me."

**"HEH. I SURVIVED HIS POINT OF VIEW FOR A DOZEN YEARS. I KNOW HOW HE IS!**" Kurama roared. **"HMPH, FINE! I WILL OFFER MY HELP IN YOUR CAUSE, ONLY BECAUSE ITS END RESULT SATISFIES THE HUMANS ENOUGH TO STOP LAUNCHING CAPTURE ATTACKS ON ME.**" Kurama lowered his head to look down at her. "**I AM A WEAPON OF WAR, BUT WITHOUT WARS, I'LL BE LEFT ALONE**." Then Kurama narrowed his eyes. **"AFTER PEACE IS ACHIEVED, I MUST BE RELEASED."**

Sakura nodded. "Of course! If Naruto understood you, he'd want to help you too! I'll talk to him, but you should too." Sakura crossed her arms. "As for your freedom, I might be able to pull it off, but Naruto has a better chance; he is the one with the fuuinjutsu talent. Don't worry, all this is many years from now, so I think he'll have mastered sealing and found a solution by then."

Kurama inhaled. "**I AM A PATIENT FOX."**

Sakura smiled. That was his way of saying 'yes'!

**"You should have been my vessel instead,"** Kurama quieted down, not intending to be heard.

Sakura blushed. "My mind's already crowded as it is," she denied, thinking of Inner.

"Ah, almost forgot. My name is Sakura Haruno, what's yours?" Sakura asked as she held a fist up through the giant bars of the cage.

He snorted, and carefully bumped his massive fist against hers. "**KURAMA**."

"Ku-ra-ma...I'll remember that." Sakura affirmed. "We're friends now."

Kurama closed his eyes, neither accepting nor denying that declaration. "**WE'RE DONE HERE. GET BACK TO YOUR LITTLE TEST.**"

Sakura sweatdropped. "Crap! How much time has passed?" panicking, she made the seal to undo the Mind Transfer Jutsu and whooshed out of there, but not before Kurama could hear, "I'm happy to have met you, Kurama!"

He almost smiled. Almost.

* * *

心理

* * *

_Seriously, what was that about? _Sakura wondered as she awoke back in her own body.

**I can't believe you were okay with me getting out of your mind, **Inner was back, **I mean, imagine having that Kyuubi you saw inside your head all the time. In comparison, I'm not bad at all. Shannaro. **

_You seem a bit docile, _Sakura noted, but she understood. They'd just seen memores they didn't want to see again. Combining Sasuke's memories of the Uchiha with her own memories, she had a clear picture of what she lost that night six years ago—and what she was now fighting for.

_Heh. In the end, I didn't get to help Naruto. _Sakura frowned. _I wonder…has Naruto talked to the Kyuubi before? He hasn't said anything about it…Neither did Kurama..._

The head proctor finally rung his timer. "Time's up! Now for the final question."

Naruto blinked. "Eh?"

Sakura facepalmed. _He didn't even notice me entering his mind! He must be really numb-skulled. _

"Before I give the 10th question, there are some more rules you need to be aware of." Ibiki stated. "Each of you is free to choose not to be given the final question, it's your decision. If you choose not to take the 10th question, regardless of your answers to the other nine, you fail, and that includes both your teammates."

Sakura slammed the desks. **CHA! IF I FACED THE KYUUBI, I CAN FACE ANYTHING!** "I'll take it!"

"Not so fast. If you do accept it but answer incorrectly, you'll not only fail, you'll be banned from taking the Chuunin Exams ever again."

"Okay, and?" Sakura needed to pee now. "Hurry up!"

Naruto stared at Sakura, before sprouting a grin. "YEAH! WE'LL TAKE IT! I'M GONNA BE HOKAGE SOMEDAY AND BEING A PERMANENT GENIN WON'T STOP ME!"

Sasuke closed his eyes, and smirked.

Ibiki glanced around the classroom. No one was leaving, except the few plants who tried to encourage others to leave by leaving themselves.

Ibiki sighed. It seems the boy's little motivation speech kept everyone in their seats, though the boy was motivated by the girl who looked like she needed to use the bathroom.

"As a small mercy, I'll make it quick," Ibiki allowed. Taking a deep breath, he dropped his bomb: "You all pass."

"Hold-" Temari started, before she was interrupted by Zabuza.

"Hold it right there!" Zabuza slammed the tables, his muscular build, age, and status intimidating the hell out of half the genin that they started regretting not leaving the classroom when they had the chance. As Zabuza leaked out some killing intent, he said, "I expected the final question to involve torturing or killing someone."

A few Mist and Sound nin nodded in agreement, and Ibiki pinched the bridge of his nose. "Momochi Zabuza. I graciously pass the strong-willed spies, who refuse to psychologically _break,_ onto you and your Sensei. Did you think I would display favoritism by testing on the same thing you rehearse every fucking day?" Ibiki closed his eyes. "Don't flatter yourself."

After he said that, everyone went silent.

A grass shinobi trembled. Apparently, Konoha wasn't soft, they simply took killing for granted, and that was why they didn't kill.

A few more Sand nin hesitated. The Kazekage said there wouldn't be any killing from Konoha's side on the Chuunin Exams, but with the infamous Zabuza on their side...?

Ibiki narrowed his eyes onto the large group of Sand genin. How suspicious, they looked tougher earlier. Maybe they'd barely passed.

Sakura gasped. The did it! She turned towards Naruto, and gave him a thumbs up and grin.

Naruto grinned back, jumping onto the tables as he hopped towards her. "YATTA! WE DID IT!"

"Yeah!" Sakura climbed atop her table to grab him for a tight hug, which he excitable blushed about.

"Hn." Sasuke came up from behind, and punched both their shoulders. "Don't stand on the table."

"Baka! That's what you're doing now," Sakura pointed out as she pulled him into the hug.

Sasuke sighed and wrapped his arms briefly around his two teammates before drawing back quickly. "I saw your blank answer sheet, dobe."

Naruto gave an embarrassed laugh, and suddenly the window's glass exploded as a woman in a light brown trench coat leapt inside the classroom.

As she landed, she turned towards the class. "ALRIGHT, YOU BRATS! NO TIME TO CELEBRATE! BECAUSE I AM ANKO MITARASHI, YOUR PROCTOR FOR THE NEXT PHRASE OF THE EXAM! LET'S GO!" Anko whirled around and made to jump out the window, but not before smirking evilly and saying, "I won't tell you where I'm going. If you can't follow or track me fast enough to make it on time, you don't deserve to become a chuunin." As an afternote, she mouthed to Ibiki before he could complain. "You let too many pass! I needa cut down the numbers!"

"Not my problem, we have a strong batch this year." He answered, in vain, as Anko had already left.

The classroom emptied out within seconds, and Ibiki rubbed his forehead. "Sheesh." No, wait, two haven't left yet- the were taking their time. "You two, if you don't chase her, you might miss the 2nd phrase of the exam."

Zabuza grinned evilly. "We know where that sadist is going. To the place that could compensate for the starvation of my bloodlust. You made me abstinate, it's time to sate myself."

Ibiki frowned. I only made you sit still for 60 minutes.

Haku bowed. "Anko-sensei is a good person." He looked to Zabuza. "Let's go before we get disqualified."

Zabuza folded his arms behind his bandaged head as he turned to takw the staircase. "As if she would."

"She really would," Haku muttered.

* * *

心理

* * *

Anko rubbed the back of her neck as she looked upon the crowd of genin surrounding the Hokage tower. "What are you guys doing here? Go home! Shoo!"

"Anko-san," a genin spoke, "You said to follow you."

"I did not! I said the 2nd phrase of the exam is tomorrow! You hear me?! I'll inform all the jounin-sensei the time and place to meet up. Leave! I have matters to attend to with the Hokage!" Anko placed her hands on her hips.

Sasuke smirked, turning to Sakura. "It might just be me...but she acts like you."

"I do not act that unreasonable and insane!" Sakura insisted, before turning towards Naruto. "Right, Naru?"

"U-Uh, you're pretty?" Naruto reasoned, before getting punched.

"Now, now," Kakashi flickered into existence. "I'm glad you all passed. Let's get some ramen."

"YATTA!"

* * *

心理

* * *

It was dusk when Ibiki collected the exams. The first one he picked up was a blank one, which he found amusing. "I just passed a candidate who didn't answer a single question…Uzumaki Naruto. Heheheh."

* * *

心理


	53. It's not my Inner Gaara, it's the Ichibi

睡觉

* * *

It was afternoon when Ibiki collected the exams. The first one he picked up was a blank one, which he found amusing. "I just passed a candidate who didn't answer a single question…Naruto Uzumaki."

* * *

睡觉

* * *

"This is the location for the second phrase of the exam. It's the 44th training zone," Anko informed the crowd of genin as she stood in front of the locked gates to a forest, "But we call it…the Forest of Death. And soon enough you'll find out why."

"'They call it the Forest of Death and soon enough you'll find out why'" Naruto repeated in a mocking tone as he waggled his hips. "Do your worst, you're not gonna scare me away!"

Sakura growled. "Are you trying to get yourself killed Naruto?!"

"I can handle anything!" Naruto pointed at the sky.

"Soo…looks like we've got ourselves a tough guy," Anko mused as her eyes curled with mirth, resembling Kakashi. Then, her eyebrow twitched as she slid a kunai from her sleeve, throwing it at Naruto. It only cut the whisker of his cheek, before embedding into the dirt behind him.

Vanishing, Anko reappeared behind Naruto before he could make a move.

"You tough enough to handle this?" From behind, Anko whispered to his ear, as she stroked his cheek. "You're not afraaiid, are you?" She touched his blood. "Tough guys like you usually leave their blood all over the forest."

"HEY! GET OFF HIM YOU OLD HAG!" Sakura yelled defensively as she leapt for Naruto.

Suddenly, Anko pulled out another kunai and deflected it at woman with a straw hat and an elongated tongue that was holding the same kunai with Naruto's blood. "I was…just returning your knife…"

"I thank you, Grass Ninja," Anko replied as Sakura grabbed Naruto away in the distraction.

Backing him back to their little team, Sakura scolded, "What were you thinking, Naruto?!"

With Naruto off Anko's chest, there was no 'genin burden' to protect, so Anko turned to face the long-haired 'Grass-nin' and ribbed the kunai from the intruder's tongue. "You know, I really recommend you stand this close behind me, if you wish to reach a premature end."

The 'Grass-nin' retracted 'her' tongue. "My pardon," 'she' apologized in a feminine voice, "With the sound of your blade slicing through my hair, mhmm, I'm afraid I just became a little excited; I meant you no harm." 'She' excused herself as 'she' pivoted, walking away. 'She' was wearing a purple robe belt for an obi.

Naruto tried sticking his tongue out to mimic the 'woman,' and Sakura slapped his cheek. "Ew, don't do that! Creepy!"

Sasuke closed his eyes, trying to tune out their annoying voices.

"Now before we begin this test, I have something to hand out to you all," Anko said as she pulled out a stack of papers. "It's just a standard consent form."

Meeting eye contact with each genin, Anko added, "Before the test, all of you will have to read over this form, and then sign it. Some of you won't survive this test, so I'll have to get your consent for that—otherwise it will have to be my responsibility. Ahahaahaahh," Anko laughed.

As Anko started explaining the instructions on the exam, Sakura glanced around the crowd of genin, spotting Zabuza with Haku.

"Hey!" Sakura called, and the Ex-Mist Swordsman looked at her, "Good luck, Zabuza."

Zabuza uncrossed his arms. "We have extra 'chores' to do since our 'Sensei' is a proctor for the Exam."

Haku looked angered behind his mask. "Zabuza-senpai, please do not reveal confidential information, even if it is Sakura-senpai."

_Hey, Haku's using the –senpai honorific on Zabuza instead of –sama. Could this be Anko-sensei's doing? _

**Forget that! He just called me '-senpai'! Kawaiiiii! **

Sakura did a fangirl squeal and Sasuke looked at her with a horrified expression, while Haku was just surprised.

"Hey, Naruto, call me Sakura-senpai from now on," Sakura nudged Naruto as he came up beside her.

Naruto suddenly smiled, feeling nostalgic. "I still remember the time I made you call me senpai."

"Clearly, the 'senpai' out of all of us is me." Sasuke ended the conversation.

Zabuza's eye twitched. "I'm a Kage-level shinobi, you know."

"Oiii," a voice drawled, and Zabuza felt a shiver up his spine. "If you're 'Kage level,' that's saying I'm leagues stronger than the Hokage…But I'm merely a newly promoted Jounin," Anko's hands landed on Zabuza's cheeks as she whispered to his ear from behind.

Zabuza sweatdropped, trying to find a way out of this without taking back his statement. Finally, he settled with adding, "You can become Konoha's Hokage if you tried."

"Who says I'm not trying?" Anko smirked, and retracted her hands, apparently satisfied with his response. Snakes started hissing under the woman's sleeves, and Sakura realized that with a seemingly harmless gesture, Anko could've assassinated Zabuza before anyone caught on.

Haku stood stoically to the side, not moving to defend Zabuza, as if he were completely used to this.

_Huh. _

"Oh, yes," Anko pulled out a Heaven scroll and dropped it into Sakura's hands. "We've already handed out the scrolls, your team's the last one. Now get to the gate, it's almost 2:00PM, which is when the gate opens and the test is on!"

* * *

睡觉

* * *

"Hey, where did Sakura-chan go?" Naruto glanced around.

Sasuke harrumphed. "She said she went to 'get something.'"

"Eh? Didn't she say the same thing yesterday? Is she really that forgetful?"

"Speak for yourself, dobe."

"Disappearing at a time like this, what could be so important for a little genin runt to risk it?" The adult proctor, Hayate, guarding the gate checked his watch. "Alright, if your 3rd teammate doesn't return by the time that clock hits 2:00, Team…7? Is disqualified."

Naruto gasped as Sasuke choked on air.

* * *

睡觉

* * *

"Yeah! We rock at survival, there's no way to lose!" Kiba exclaimed. "Hinata, you'd better be strong for this."

"E-Eto-" Hinata nodded. "R-Right. If we work hard, we can do anything….and we d-did work hard."

Kiba looked at Hinata strangely. He didn't expect her to be so sure of their victory and so daring—it was unlike Hinata. Kiba smirked. _Hah, well, if Hinata, the most unconfident person in the world, is confident that we'll win, we'll definitely win! _

Shino pushed his round sunglasses. "There's no way we'd fail. Why? Because we have each other's backs, that's why."

* * *

睡觉

* * *

"Ino, you're sure you're okay?" Shikamaru asked while trying to hide the concern in his lowered voice. "This test may cost us our lives. It's a drag and I'd be fine with it if we forfeited right here right now, to save us the trouble."

Chouji munched on his chips. "Ino, no worries about fighting—I've got my Akimichi techniques and we never need mind-infiltration on the battlefield anyway."

Ino groaned. "Will you guys quit fussing over me? I'm telling you—my brain is _fine_! It's not like I've gone_ psycho_ or anything—unlike a certain Billboard Brow!"

"But we don't know what happened back there in the Exam room," Shikamaru said exhaustedly. "It's gonna be _five days_ in the forest of_ death_, Ino. If something happened back there, we should deal with it _right now_."

Ino looked like she was about to protest, but Chouji said something else. "We're more than a team; I can't stand the thought of having to hurt you even in _training_. We've been friends since we were kids, and our dads are best friends. Both of us are worried—I'll give you the rest of my chips if you tell us."

Ino dropped her hands. "Keep your chips."

As Chouji looked about to protest, Ino quickly said, "I don't need bribery to tell you guys anything!"

Shikamaru and Chouji huddled together with her as she told them what happened.

"There was literally no way to get back into my body," Ino whispered, "She could have kept me caged inside her sick head for all of eternity, and then my body would've been put in a _coma _for years—or even my entire life—and I'd decompose even skinnier over the years! Don't get me wrong, I like being skinny, but not boney!"

Shikamaru looked furious and was frozen stiffly, which was a rare sight that neither of them have seen on him before, and Chouji instantly took a step away from him while reaching a hand to pat his shoulder. "Uh, Shikamaru?"

He blinked and looked at Chouji. "Tch, nothing." _That was a huge gamble. Even if Ino taught Sakura her Jutsu, Sakura could have continued keeping her trapped- Ino should have found some way to ensure Sakura held up her end of the deal. But more importantly… _

Turning towards Ino, he said seriously, "Don't use your mind-transfer technique on her again. On the off-chance that, and let's hope it doesn't happen although I_ want_ it to happen, she were sent to the Torture and Interrogation department, let your dad know that your clan technique must be used as a_ last_ resort. She could potentially hold a _hostage_—with that strange mind barrier of hers."

Inevitably, Shikamaru was also telling Ino to inform her clan that their techniques had been stolen by a genin…and to leave it to Inoichi to decide what to do about it. Punish her, slap her wrist, erase her memories…

Ino blinked. "Why are you talking about her as if she's an enemy of Konoha already?"

"People could snap," Shikamaru answered. "Who knows if she's snapped already, to resort to stealing Kekkei Genkai from an ally?"

"Friend." Ino corrected. But Ino was a bit weirded out—Shikamaru was probably better at psychology than she was—her, a Yamanaka! Maybe her judgment was a little clouded…It involved Sakura after all. "I don't think she's snapped or whatever. Sakura's got a strong mind; maybe she was just plain stupid and wanted to pass the test by doing something only I could do- because she's jealous of me."

"Your bias is disheartening."

Chouji rummaged through his bag, checking his potato chips and strawberry layered cakes. "Uh, guys, the exam's about to begin."

* * *

睡觉

* * *

Sakura stood in front of the Memorial Stone, tracing the name UCHIHA OBITO with her tinted eyes over and over.

Propping her butt on the grass, she sighed, "Who am I kidding? To think that just _maybe _you would show up again, to wish me luck or something."

"Yo."

"Eep!" Jumping to her feet and turning her back against the KIA Stone, Sakura felt Kakashi-sensei inches in front of her, almost caging her in. "….Um…there's still a few minutes left…and I run really fast! I wasn't going to be late for this…!"

Kakashi's hand pulled up his headband, revealing an activated Sharingan, and Sakura gulped.

**I KNEW IT! HE'S GOING TO KILL US! **

Kakashi's gaze switched between the Memorial Stone to Sakura. Their expressions…they matched too much.

The same anxiety from the anticipation of getting scolded for tardiness,

Those funky goggles that were out-of-style back then, and were still untrendy to this day,

That comical, nervous expression that slowly turned indignant with impatience,

That recklessly, optimistically confident grin…which was brighter than even Kushina's and Naruto's mischievous ones,

And that blind idealism that might blind the whole world into making it come true,

It was all there.

They were different people from different times, but they shared the same perspective.

And there were things Kakashi had always pondered over, always wanted to ask his teammate. He was never too certain if his decisions were the right ones, and whether Obito would have approved of them, because Obito was dead, and he was never presumptuous to believe himself to know what Obito's opinion would be for every subject, although he did try to live his ninja life on what he assumed Obito would have wanted.

"Sakura, after you become Chuunin, what are your plans?"

Sakura blinked in shock at the unexpected question, before looking up into Kakashi's eyes. _Weird…it feels like I'm facing Kakashi-sensei and Obito-kun at the same time…_

**Wait! Can Obito-kun****_ see_**** through Kakashi's Sharingan, right here right now? CREEPY!**

_Eep! Inner! Stop derailing my thoughts—Sensei's asked a question—_

"Uhmm…" Sakura's back touched the cold KIA stone and she couldn't quite position herself somewhere else because Kakashi was in her way and she didn't want to move him.

"I've lived a sheltered life in Konoha…but I don't want any suffering, I don't _need _to suffer loneliness in order to understand people who are hurt. Like Naruto and Sasuke, they were alone, didn't have any parents while I did, but I understood them—"

That was a lie, Sakura lost a lot of things.

"We picked ourselves up and kept going. It's survivable. But there are weak people, and strong people who are unlucky, and…" At this point Sakura was repeating what her _first _mentor taught her. And she remembered the homeless population of Konoha, the wealthiest shinobi village, and the country of Wave which caught a lucky break, and the Uchiha grandparents… "…Maybe things could be better—a future where there's no _need_ to get stronger, because everything's fine." Sakura held her hands up and pushed Kakashi off because he had gotten way too close for comfort.

"But first, becoming Hokage gives you authority. I'm good at paperwork and organization so I can set some policies in place to fix Konoha's problems, and then work on proposals to other villages starting with the non-shinobi ones—"

Kakashi tuned Sakura out as she rambled on the technicalities of the laws and something about_ taxes?_ _Well, that's a difference; Obito wouldn't have done that much research beforehand, not in a million years, but the idea…it's the same._

"—And the jail system has to be refined," Sakura held up a finger, "I was in there one time and—"

"And what could you possibly have done to be imprisoned?"

Sakura blushed. "Uchiha Military Police, plus Naruto, plus pranks,"

"I can imagine."

"Ah…I have to convince Hokage-sama…" Sakura slumped. A Hokage was selected by the previous Hokage, there was no voting process unless the Hokage _died_. Ranking up to attain that position? It wasn't that simple, she had to be chosen. Not to mention she made a _promise_ to Hana and Shiku and some other Uchiha elders that she'd fix everything, plus Obito-kun believed in her- that was serious motivation against a large roadblock. "Dammit."

"Ma, ma, getting ahead of yourself aren't you?" Kakashi placed his hand over her head and ruffled her hair, earning an indignant squawk. "First you have to pass the Exams, which I believe you'll be disqualified for, if you arrive late. Saa, look at the time," Kakashi pulled out that same alarm clock he'd planned to use for the Bell Test. It was 1:59PM.

"AH!" Sakura shrieked. _Less than a minute._

**Cha! Kakashi-sensei wasted our precious time! **

_I wouldn't call it wasting—EEP!_

Kakashi had lifted Sakura up by the scruff of her dark-blue-Uchiha-styled shirt, and vanished.

* * *

睡觉

* * *

Sasuke crossed his arms and nudged Naruto's back by the tip of his foot. "Dobe, get up."

Naruto ignored his rival, as he had his nose stuck in a giant textbook on seals. It seemed like Naruto's strategy for coping with panic attacks.

Sasuke sighed. This was one of the rare times, after the Academy, that Naruto was studying.

Hayate watched the clock's second-hand tick centimeters closer to '12,' and also noticed that the third genin was nowhere in sight. "I'm afraid time's—" he was suddenly thrown back against the gate by an explosion of wind.

Through the smoke, revealed Kakashi-sensei holding a disgruntled Sakura like a puppy.

"Yo. Did we make—"

The alarm rung as Hayate pushed himself up, still attempting to even his breathing through a fitful of coughs. "Heh. I should have expected this—" Hayate coughed again, "only a student of the Copy-nin would arrive at the bare minimum time."

"Mah, it seems that habits tend to pass from mentor to student," Kakashi lied, although he had no idea he was actually telling a truth. He held Sakura up as the pinkette crossed her arms and pouted. "You know, you remind me a bit of Pakkun."

Sakura gasped and struggled. "Don't compare me to a dog!"

"As you wish," Kakashi agreed, "Cats land on their feet,"

"Wha-"

Sakura crashed to the ground after Kakashi held her a little higher and released her.

"Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed as he helped her up, while Sakura mumbled noises of pain and hatred towards Sensei. Clicking his tongue, Sasuke picked up Naruto's textbook and sealed it in a scroll.

"That was cold," Hayate remarked, and Kakashi's eye curled with mirth.

"Heh. A genin ready for the chuunin exams wouldn't feel a scratch—mine, even more so."

"Overconfident." Hayate deadpanned.

"More like Under-confident," Kakashi retorted as he watched Sasuke push the other two by their backs through the gates.

Suddenly, Hayate felt a wave of pain through his next breath and his chest started convulsing. He erupted into a fit of sick, horrific fatal-sounding coughs as he collapsed to his knees. It was like an asthma attack.

Kakashi peered down at his underclassman-jounin from his side. It was nothing new, Hayate's coughs were incurable or he would've already been cured. Still, it seemed like it was getting worse, and Kakashi had some decency. "Need anything, Hayate?"

Hayate held up a hand in denial as he kept heaving, his coughs lowering in volume. Misinterpreting that action, Kakashi placed a bottle of water in his hand, which Hayate decided to drink.

* * *

"Whoa, whoa," a scary snake-woman's voice chimed in as Mitarashi Anko entered the scene. "Don't cough like that, Hayate-boy, it's a bad omen!"

Hayate finished his water bottle and crushed it, before suddenly vomiting. Kakashi suddenly displayed worry on his expression and Anko blanched.

Hayate stood up to stare at Anko intensely despite his sleepy eye-bags. "My coughs are not a bad omen."

"Really," Anko raised her eyebrows. "If something happens, I'm blaming it on your nauseous coughs."

"That's _cold_," Kakashi punned.

Hayate narrowed his eyes as his two senpai laughed at him.

* * *

睡觉

* * *

Sakura stuck close to her team as they ventured deeper into the dark forest. There were creepy sounds of owls, crickets, tigers, rodents, and snakes, among the rustling leaves and branches.

_This is creepy! _Sakura started sweating as she got extremely close to Naruto and Sasuke, centimeters from touching either boy, until Sasuke sighed and grabbed her shoulder, pushing her back.

"Don't crowd, meiwaku," Sasuke told her, "it's a disadvantage in a fight."

"Eh…" Sakura rubbed the back of her head.

"Come on guys, let's run faster!" Naruto shouted excitedly, "First one who gets to the tower wins!"

"Idiot! We need a scroll first!"

"We're bound to run into an enemy if we head straight for the tower," Sasuke pointed out, "Being a rookie team, others will assume us to be 'easy targets.' I say we head straight for the tower, as Naruto said."

Naruto beamed at the rare praise from Sasuke. "Ahah, I guess you're not such a teme—"

"But you're still a dobe."

Naruto harrumphed, "Well you're double teme!"

Sakura nodded. "There's no point in hunting down teams when we can conserve our energy for self-defense that could get us a scroll." Her mind turned strategic. "The tower is at the center of the forest, so naturally teams will converge there. If we're lucky enough not to run across anyone, we could lay an ambush."

"So, the race is on!" Naruto concluded, and started running full speed ahead.

Sakura sprinted after him, and so did Sasuke.

* * *

睡觉

* * *

Meanwhile,

Gaara ignored the screams inside his head.

**Kill him, kill him, kill him, mother wants blood, kill….**

_You're not Mother; you were created out of my desire for a mother. You are my Inner Gaara._

**NO I'M NOT! **Shukaku was enraged. **I'M NOT SOME MENTAL CREATION THAT YOU CAN SUPPRESS—I'M THE ICHIBI! **

_You're…what? _

Shukaku went _extremely _silent, there was no screaming, no rustling sound, no sound of sand, absolutely nothing. It was the _first_ time Gaara had heard such stillness inside his head, and normally he would have been too stupefied to think. But now, Gaara was _thinking_, rather than dwelling on the miracle of silence; in fact, the silence _augmented _his thinking.

Abruptly, Gaara stopped walking, and from a few meters ahead of him, his siblings halted to watch him.

Thinkthinkthink.

_'Ichibi,' why don't you say something, hmm? _

Gaara thought he heard a massive sound of someone swallowing, but nothing else. It sounded like hesitation.

Gaara's shoulders shivered, as his neutral mouth twisted into a grin that his siblings recognized all too well—the grin before murder. "Heheheheheheh…I understand now."

Kankuro paled. _Are we next? _

"Understand what?" Temari tentatively asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"The reason everyone believes I'm a monster, the reason I am a monster…the reason I have all this power," Gaara's sand rose. "I've never wondered nor tried to understand why you all hated me. I simply hated back. But now…I understand."

Gaara pointed to the temple of his head. "It's because of the creature inside me."

Temari gasped.

"A-A-Ah…." Kankuro gulped.

"Judging by your expressions, _you two knew_." Gaara's twisted smile turned into a frown as his teal eyes narrowed into a glare onto his brother. "Why did you keep this a secret from me?"

Kankuro raised his hands in a pacifying attempt. "Hey look, Gaara, I'm sorry, I…we were just trying to protect you,"

"Protect me?" Gaara started walking towards his brother, and Kankuro forced himself to remain rooted to the spot, knowing that Gaara killed _everyone_ who ran.

Temari's eyes darted between her two brothers before she opened her mouth. "Our father ordered us not to tell you." She hesitated, wondering if she was revealing too much information, but nonetheless, Gaara already knew the truth. "He said that you might go crazy and killed everyone if you found out a monster was inside you, and you were already killing a lot of people..."

Gaara raised his eyebrows, his eyes widening creepily. Then, Gaara grinned.

"If either of you had told me the truth right from the beginning," Gaara's grin widened. "I would have killed absolutely _no one_."

"I saw no reason for my victims to attack me. Without understanding the reasons behind their actions, without understanding _why_ they hated me, I only saw them as mindless-killing-machines out to get me….until now."

"They didn't hate me," Gaara's grin widened even more, "They hated the monster inside of me."

"It's your fault I killed everyone."

"It's not my fault they died, it's yours. _You _deserve to die. I will kill you now."

And then faster than a jounin could run, sand flew everywhere.

Puppets were crushed and a fan was ripped apart.

* * *

睡觉


	54. Karin's Glasses

睡觉

* * *

Itachi suddenly felt the urge to sneeze, but he held it in.

"Dusty base, isn't it?" Kisame grinned, slashing his Samehada through the air, only to blow more dust into Itachi's face.

Itachi closed his eyes. "Why don't you do something about it, water-user?"

_I wonder how little Sasuke is doing…_

* * *

睡觉

* * *

Sasuke felt it coming before it hit. "MOVE!" Despite his warning and their attempts to dodge, an assailable wind spanning the length of the clearing knocked into trio, separating them as far as the eye could see.

Whether they survived was questionable, for it was an extremely strong wind.

"Kukukukuku," a low chuckling voice rumbled, as Sasuke landed directly backwards into a bush.

_Shit! Sakura and Naruto have flown opposite sides of each other. There's no chance of us regrouping before I'm finished with this fight—and there's no guarantee that we'll find each other before we reach the tower…Unless I remain here, but I can't remain in one place too long as a sitting duck, and they might run into trouble and not arrive…Dammit! _

Sasuke pushed himself up from the bush, and stumbled to his feet. He glared at the woman, preparing himself to end this fight quickly. "_You. Little. Bitch._"

Orochimaru licked his lips. "_You're mine_."

* * *

睡觉

* * *

Naruto was cornered by a giant snake.

_Okay…Calm down, I got this, 'cos I'm Naruto Uzumaki! _Naruto opened his backpack and grabbed a page of a random seal he had been inventing earlier. He stuck it to a kunai and threw it at the snake the moment it opened its massive maws to swallow him.

The kunai entered the snake's mouth and suddenly the snake turned inside out. Its red muscles replacing its earlier green scales, and its eyeballs turn backwards, and its bones hit the earth.

"Ewwww!"

_That…wasn't supposed to happen…_

Naruto imagined Sakura scolding him for screwing up the seal.

Naruto sweatdropped.

"Quick! Poof away before Sakura-chan sees!"

The snake vanished in a burst of smoke back to its summoning dimension.

Unknowingly, Naruto just pulled one against Orochimaru. Once Manda saw the discombobulated body of his relative, he was going to be out for his 'master''s blood.

* * *

睡觉

* * *

"Honestly, I could've sworn I came from that way…" Sakura mumbled as she tried to find her way through the shrubby forest, pushing apart branches and crawling under undergrowths.

"AIEEE!" A girly scream and a loud thrashing nose.

_That sounds like Naruto's scream! _Sakura pushed chakra to her feet and leapt above the trees, jumping towards the source of that noise.

It turned out to be a giant bear attacking a little red-haired girl wearing the same brand of glasses as her.

**OMG! THOSE GLASSES! OMG! **

Concentrating chakra to the soles of her feet in the same way she would do to her fists, Sakura landed onto the bear's back, emitting a final roar as the bear's organs burst from the pressure that invaded its insides.

The bear collapsed, dead, and from atop the bear, Sakura pulled up her goggles to get a better look at the girl clutching…

"Another Heaven scroll," Sakura slumped. "That sucks…on second thought, I don't think I could've taken a scroll from _you_, so in a way, that's a good thing, I guess, heh."

Sakura smiled reassuringly.

And Karin pushed her glasses up, trying to get a clear look at her savior.

She memorized that smile and those eyes and that warm, fuzzy chakra.

It was implied the reason she was saved by the enemy was because of the chance she might have a scroll they needed, but those little clues said otherwise.

Karin knew a shinobi like this pink-haired girl was a rare sight. A_ shinobi_ with so much happiness and optimism and benevolence was impossible.

That leaf headband glinted.

_Is this what a Konoha shinobi is? _

Sakura landed in front of her, and Karin shrieked.

"Hey…those glasses…" Sakura began, "They're pretty cool."

"Um, yours are too, I mean—" Karin's glasses glinted as she had a weird smile on her face, "Mine are round and yours are slightly more squared and larger in proportion to your forehead—I mean—It's a nice forehead—I mean—"

"You're the second person to have ever complimented my forehead," Sakura stated, "the first one being Naruto Uzumaki during one of his pranks…"

_Wait._

_Naruto._

_Compliments my forehead. _

_Uzumaki. _

_Red hair. _

"My name is Sakura Haruno, so what's your name?" She suddenly got into Karin's face.

"U-Um," Karin pushed her glasses, "K-Karin."

"Surname?"

"…I don't know?"

"What if you're from the Uzumaki clan?" Sakura theorized, "It's certainly possible. You kinda remind me of an Uzumaki I know well, and your face looks like his…" Sakura narrowed her emerald eyes at Karin's curved eyes, their glasses touching each other's. "You're not really from the Taki village, or your parents weren't, or your grandparents, right?"

Karin hesitated, but then she saw Sakura and she fumbled for words. She liked Sakura, being beside Sakura felt better than being with her teammates. "I—I'm an orphan—"

Sakura looked startled as she drew back. "I'm sorry,"

"I never really knew them," Karin shrugged, "But if it means anything, the house I lived in had many notes and spirals. Notes that taught me how to utilize my powers." _My sensory and healing abilities._ "It's not something I'm certain about…Why does it matter?"

Sakura stuck her hands into her pockets. "I guess…I just wanted my friend to meet a relative, and I wanted you to meet one. He would have been so excited about it…You two would have gotten along…"

Karin blinked, a funny feeling in her stomach. "Y…You really think so?"

"Of course!" Sakura grabbed her hands. "After the Exams are over, come visit Konoha, or maybe you can stop by after this is over?" Sakura suddenly released her. "Crap! I forgot! My team is in danger, and I need to look for them!" Sakura spun around and started to sprint off.

"Wait!" Karin held out a hand. "I can help!"

Sakura's feet kicked the ground, forcing herself to pivot. "What? How?"

"I'm a sensory nin, and if one of your teammates is really my…relative…our chakra signatures would resemble each others," Karin explained as her hands formed into a ram seal.

_Mind's Eye of the Kaguya. _

Karin's eyes snapped open. "Found him! He's with another cool chakra, and they're working together to fight a _monstrous_ _godly chakra_! It's too strong—they'll lose!"

"Which way?!" Sakura shouted urgently.

Karin pointed in the direction, "Keep heading straight down that direction—no wait, don't! It's too dangerous, that chakra is a _hundred_ times more powerful than you three combined—don't go—you'll die!"

"Didn't you know? Women have to be strong in order to survive!" Those were the last words exchanged between them before Sakura's presence vanished completely with the distance.

Karin dropped her hand. _Strong? _

She had absolutely no combat abilities, instead relying on her teammates for everything that wasn't tracking or healing, and she almost died until an enemy's compassion. She was weak but she had to become stronger.

_Haruno Sakura...I won't let you down! In return, please don't die! _

Karin stuffed her scroll underneath her shirt and started searching out for the chakra of her teammates.

She couldn't help but feel a shiver, as if abandoning Sakura was a wrong decision…that, if Sakura died, she would never be able to forgive herself, even if there was nothing she could have done.

* * *

睡觉

* * *

Earlier…

"Kukukukuku…you're paralyzed with fear…" Orochimaru's killing intent had invaded Sasuke's body, showing him visions of his death and forcing the experience of exhilarating pain within his body, and he was completely alone to endure it by himself.

He couldn't move. He didn't know where Naruto and Sakura was. He was scared. He forced himself to stand up, little by little; he forced his hand to grab his kunai, bit by bit. He resisted the pain, he could feel his every nerve cell stimulating with pain but he tolerated it.

He held his kunai, he was on his feet, but he couldn't move, much less expect to fight.

"Don't worry, I'll make it quick." With two kunai in a hand, Orochimaru began wslowly approaching towards the Uchiha boy, "But I don't have to tell you that, do I? You've seen it with your own eyes."

"Kukukuku, I expected you to be more of a challenge, how disappointing…" The kunai was thrown.

Sasuke stabbed his thigh with his kunai to overcome his fear out of pain, and then forced chakra to his feet as he leapt away to further trees.

Giant snakes chased after him as Sasuke weaved hand seals desparately, before blowing fireballs at them, burning them to crisps.

He landed on his branch, completely drained and exhausted and quivering with fear. And in so much pain. But there was more to come, he could tell. A mere glance with that much killing intent…the only way to survive was to escape, but this woman had to be at least stronger and_ faster _than Kakashi.

There was no other way…

Sasuke reached inside his shirt and pulled out his Heaven scroll. "Take it."

"Kukukuku," Orochimaru smirked, _yesss, come closer to me, Sasuuke-kuun…_

Once Sasuke was within striking range, Orochimaru slid his blood across his arm's summoning tattoos and summoned a massive snake the size of a tower, its jaws opening to swallow Sasuke.

Sasuke's eyes widened. _It's too late, I'm going to die—I can't, not without killing my brother!_

The snake's skin turned inside out and Orochimaru was suddenly inside the snake's stomach, in the dark. Angered and confused, Orochimaru took out a kunai and sliced his way out, to see a new boy in an orange jumpsuit shaking Sasuke.

Sasuke shook his head, and grabbed Naruto's arms. "NARUTO! Get out of here! What are you thinking?! You don't know what you're up against!" Sasuke screamed desperately, looking fearfully at Orochimaru's messed up snake. "Hurry! Go now! While you still can!"

"Snap out of it, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, shaking Sasuke's shoulders even harder. "You can't let a wimp like that get to ya!"

"'Wimp'? _That thing_, a _wimp_?" Sasuke pointed at the inside-out snake, looking exasperated.

"Yeah, yeah! Me, you, and Sakura-chan—We're the strongest team! There's nothing that can take us down, believe it!"

Sasuke suddenly started chuckling softly, his dark hair covering his eyes as tears flowed out, dripping off from his chin. "Heheheh."

Orochimaru was intrigued, and also covered in snake-blood._ But how…it's impossible. _

"Hahahahah! You're right, NARUTO!" Sasuke laughed. It was completely unreasonable. Statistically, by chakra level and experience, they couldn't win. But Naruto's adrenaline and crazy speech got to Sasuke's head, maybe they_ could_ win. No, they _will_ win.

Sasuke turned and smirked arrogantly at Orochimaru, who was drenched in blood atop a dead snake. "We're taking your scroll, and leaving." _I'll even kill you to escape. _

"Oh?" Orochimaru's golden eyes swept between the two boys. Amusing.

Sasuke whipped out his wire, and Naruto's body flowed with Kyuubi red chakra.

Inside his seal, Kurama yawned.

**That was a long nap. Hey, kit. **

Naruto blinked, shocked, then feeling a little scared. …_Could you be…? _

**It's time for me to pay my rent. **

Naruto was taken aback by the Kyuubi's attitude. The Nine Tailed Fox wanted to help him? _I dunno what's going on, but if you're offering free help, then it's dattebayo!_

**YOU'D JUST BETTER NOT STRAY FROM YOUR NINDO, NARUTO, FOR IT'S THE ONLY CHANCE I'VE GOT TOWARDS FREEDOM! **Kurama flowed his chakra into Naruto's body.

Surprised by the sudden eagerness coming from the Kyuubi, Naruto realized that the Fox was not such a bad guy! _YOU BET I WON'T, 'TTEBAYO! _

Sasuke watched Naruto's chakra levels increase to levels higher than he'd felt from Orochimaru, but… rather than suffocating, it felt comforting. He knew it to be Kyuubi chakra, but perhaps his familiarity with it was due to his constant exposure to Naruto.

Sasuke smirked, and turned towards Orochimaru. "In order to survive, we'll aim for the kill, got it, dobe?"

"TEME! I don't need you telling me that!" Naruto responded as he vanished faster than the eye could see.

Sasuke gasped, watching Naruto smash Orochimaru, punching his face, breaking his back, throwing him around like a rag doll.

His eyes couldn't follow the dobe's movements, despite being of the Uchiha clan.

Sasuke looked at his ninja wire, and felt useless.

After a severe beat-up from Naruto, Orochimaru's body collapsed.

There was no chakra signature, nothing left. As if the Sannin had died.

In extreme relief, Naruto fell to his knees, his breathing ragged and loud. The Kyuubi chakra had been eroding his own body, every cell in body was in pain, but it was all worth it: Sasuke was safe.

**Listen, brat, I'm glad it's over. Any more of this and you would be disabled for life. **Kurama warned his host. **I'm not giving you any more chakra until you recover. **

"Thanks, err…friend," Naruto said, since he didn't know the Kyuubi's name.

**Hmph. **

The chakra faded from his body and, ironically, his pain multiplied by a hundredfold _because _he was forcing himself not to fall unconscious, which was harder with only his own chakra to rely on. He pushed himself up to look at Sasuke, who appeared fully healthy save for a few surface scratches. That was good. _Wait a minute…why is Sasuke-teme frowning? I just saved his life! He should be smiling and worshipping me like I'm the #1 ultimate boss Uzumaki Naruto! Wait a minute, is teme scared?_

Naruto tried smiling to reassure Sasuke, but he still couldn't help but poke fun at him. "Scaredy-cat."

That only served to anger Sasuke. "NARUTO! You…USURATONKACHI!"

"Oi, oi, I just saved your ass, where's my thanks?" Naruto pouted.

Sasuke's lip quivered. He looked down in shame, he clenched his fists, he swallowed, and he forced his words out. "Tch! Thank you, Naruto."

Naruto held his hands up, waving. "Uh, I didn't mean it literally! You didn't have to say it, uhh!" Naruto stuttered awkwardly. Sasuke had never thanked anyone before, it was just plain weird!

Sasuke glared at Naruto, before closing his eyes. "Whatever. Don't try to play the hero, I know you can't walk. Get on my back."

Naruto blushed as Sasuke pulled Naruto up over his back. Naruto had a stupid grin on his face as he snuggled Sasuke's neck, falling straight asleep, the fight having overcharged its toll on his body. Sasuke sweatdropped.

Yeah, everything seemed good. Especially since there were no threats, and Orochimaru's body was unrecognizable and unusable, and it looked like Sasuke not only acknowledged Naruto, but appreciated him. Everything was good.

_Well then,_ a brand-new body crawled out the shell of his old body like a snake shedding its skin.

Orochimaru stood atop his old baggage of a body, looking fresh and new. His skin was translucently white with purple eyeliner, his jawline was sharper, and his body larger than before. Male. Tall. Dangerous. Reborn.

"Tsk, tsk," Orochimaru interrupted their happy moment, "What a disappointment you turned out to be, Sasuke-kun…You did absolutely nothing, your ancestors would weep. The Uchiha clan would thank me for killing you, but you're not even worth killing. Silly little worm."

Sasuke tensed, _you'renotevenworthkilling…_

Orochimaru was alive.

_You're not worth killing_

Naruto couldn't fight.

_Foolish little brother…you're too__** weak**__. _

Sasuke needed more power, but that was an impossible option right now. Then what, negotiation?

"What the hell do you want?!" Sasuke yelled, "I know you don't want the scroll or you would have taken it! Why would you go this far?! Whatever it is, I'll give it to you, just leave us alone!"

"My, my, surrendering already?" Orochimaru's tongue slithered out, feeling the odor of blood in the air. "Mmm…Such a sweet taste, the taste of a hopeless cause…Maybe you'll have more guts to fight me, without that useless baggage burdening your shoulders." Orochimaru pulled out a kunai and pointed it at Naruto.

Sasuke sucked in a breath. Guts to fight him? That could only mean… "The one you're after, is me!" Sasuke shouted, "Had you truthfully been looking for a good fight, you'd have settled for Naruto, not some weakling like me!"

Orochimaru paused, narrowing his golden eyes into slits.

"The only thing special about me would be my Sharingan!" Sasuke finished, pulling out a kunai, pointing it directly at his own face, moving closer as if to scoop them out. "You want my eyes? You can have them!"

"NO!" Orochimaru's hand shot out, and Sasuke halted, smirking.

"Bull's-eye," Sasuke concluded. "There are only two possible outcomes from this. I will either remove my Sharingan safely, or I will slash this kunai across my eyes and you gain absolutely nothing!"

Orochimaru bristled with rage, and hissed. "Well, well, you've figured it out. _Keen_, just like your older brother. _An extremist_, just like Itachi. I expected no less from his younger brother," Orochimaru slowly smirked, and extended out his hand. "You detest weakness, do you not? I saw how you trembled with fear at my power, and your fury at being helpless, relying on your teammate to save your life…I understand how you feel. Come here…and take my power."

Sasuke said nothing, but pressed his kunai to his eyelid, and Orochimaru shrieked, "No!"

"Didn't you claim to want my eyes?" Sasuke asked rhetorically, barely containing his rage at the mention of Itachi's name. "Let us leave, and you can have my eyes—_after _I get Naruto to safety. Otherwise, I will blind myself and—"

"If I wanted only your eyes, I'd have torn them out during the fight," Orochimaru hissed, "I want your_ body_! Surrender your _entire _self, and I might just let your little friend live."

"I…" Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What good would my body be if I'm blind?!" Sasuke kept his kunai millimeters from slashing them.

"Tch. You. You." Orochimaru wrung his hands. How could his plans have gone so wrong?! No…wait…

"You're trying to deceive me, aren't you?" Orochimaru asked, "You don't have the Sharingan, you're not _Uchiha_ Sasuke."

Sasuke's black eyes widened. "_What_?"

"What value are your eyes, if you can't activate them?" Orochimaru was smiling sweetly, but he was furious.

"Who knows when, or _if_ they would _ever_ manifest. Trying to negotiate without even possessing the Shraringan? Kukukuku." Orochimaru chuckled.

"I might just kill you both for wasting my time," Orochimaru tilted his head. "Tsk, tsk, I'm so disappointed in you, Sasuke-kun."

And then Orochimaru coughed out his Kusanagi katana, extending the blade until it was six feet, and charged Sasuke.

"Outta my way, stupid!" Sasuke heard an annoying voice bark, before getting kicked across his stomach.

The sword stabbed into the place Sasuke was, while he was thrown half a mile backwards with Naruto.

Above the kusanagi, standing on the flat part of the blade, was a pink haired girl in orange goggles and blazing red eyes.

"You wanted the Sharingan, right?!" Sakura pointed at her eyes, "I'm more of an Uchiha than Sasuke will ever be!"

Sasuke crashed into the earth and slid across the grassy field until the friction stopped him. He hadn't let go of Naruto, and Naruto hadn't awoken.

His stomach felt numb and it sounded as if his bones had cracked. _Why did you kick me across the stomach like that, it's as if you don't want me to fight…_

_…no…could that have been your intention? _

He pushed himself up, and looked back in the direction he was kicked from. …_Sakura? _

_No…can't go back,_ Sasuke trembled, and looked at the unconscious Naruto, _Must hide the dobe in a safe place before I head back. Can't waste the precious time Sakura bought me. _

Sasuke picked Naruto up, and moved to look for shelter.

By the time he returned for Sakura, she was out cold with a fever, and a strange tomoe marking on her neck.

* * *

睡觉


	55. Orochimaru

Sakura vs Orochimaru

* * *

_I knew something like this would_ _happen. _

_Think about it, the last Uchiha being placed in an exam full of unknown foreigners whom could easily be powerful shinobi disguised as genin...It's like a pseudo-War!_

_Everyone wants power and kekkei genkai. Hatred isn't the only problem in this world, but greed too. _

_Greed for knowledge, greed for territory, greed for control, greed for power, greed for...protecting your friends..._

_Greed for happiness. _

_People want different things, and it just so happens that Sasuke's Sharingan is among what many people would want- _

_Obito-kun taught me a lot about the Sharingan. I wasn't sure why he did, since it had no use to me, I wasn't an Uchiha...But now that I know, I'm glad he did, or I'd be completely lost right now. Can ghosts see the future...?_

_With so many unknown people in this exam and this golden opportunity, _someone_ was bound to target Sasuke for his eyes, someone stronger than us, so I took one of the spares from the night of the massacre. I thought I could offer a trade off just in case this situation arose-_

_"don't target Sasuke, he doesn't have any Sharingan, but I do. You have these eyeballs if you let us go." _

_...Something like that._

_But of course it wasn't that easy. Orochimaru wanted Sasuke's body. A vessel. He wouldn't settle for merely a set of red eyeballs. _

_So I removed my eyes and inserted the preserved Sharingan of some random Uchiha who happened to have the same eye size as me from the Massacre. _

_Obito said they would be happy I'm using their powers to protect myself rather than let them rot unused as I die. Their spirits confirmed it too when I took their eyes. Not only for self-protection, but medical research too. _

_I'm not doing anything wrong. _

_Even if this intense pain in my eyes feels like a punishment for my wrongdoings, I'm doing the right thing! _

_...Right?_

* * *

牺牲

* * *

With her feet planted atop the legendarily sword, Sakura placed her hands on her hips and looked sternly at Orochimaru, an accusing tone scolding the man, "What do you think you're doing,_ Orochimaru_?"

Orochimaru looked shocked. _Hiruzen-sensei? _He blinked, assessing her with suspicious golden eyes.

No...There was nothing about her that resembled the 3rd Hokage. Pink hair, Sharingan eyes, orange goggles that _might_ have suited Jiraiya's idiotic face...if anything, she was a bastard child. Probably the clan head's daughter.

It would be quite unbelievable for her _not_ to be an Uchiha, yet possess the Sharingan, while a true Uchiha hadn't activated his yet.

_One of Danzo's test subjects? _

She wouldn't be placed on the Jinchuuriki's team, then.

"Who are you?" Orochimaru asked, withdrawing his sword.

牺牲

Sakura hopped onto her branch and listened for Sasuke's retracting steps. He was getting further, good. Now she just had to stall this Sannin, as long as she could.

_Who am I? _

Her mind went through the lessons Obito lectured.

_"Be as vague as possible while sounding like the world's best informant, say a few extremely revolting points while leaving out the smaller details. Reason being, they'll come up with their own presumptions. Deception by the person's own self is the best deception. If you have the Sharingan, that makes things even easier, but you don't. At the same time, the Uchiha are growing docile and forgetting the power of their eyes, so you might pull one over any of the Uchiha from the Konoha Military Police. Hey, hey, are you falling asleep on me?!" _

_"Eep! Sorry Obito-kun, you're the best teacher ever...but how would my learning all that supposed make the world a happy place?"_

_"Sakura-chan..." Sigh._

Unlike Sakura's glasses, the Sharingan detected_ more_ than what was in front of her, but also the chakra signatures_ behind_ her. She could judge the distance and location Sasuke and Naruto, and it was only a few meters more before they left her peripheral.

_Obito-kun...you were right, the Sharingan was meant to save lives. _

Sakura looked back at Orochimaru. Orochimaru met eye contact with her without flinching, and Sakura wondered whether he was being extremely confident or he didn't realize she was attempting to apply a trust genjutsu onto him.

Her heart was beating rapidly but she quickly applied a medical ninjutsu that forced it to slow down, and stopped her sympathetic nervous system from producing too many hormones that could betray her.

That made things easier and she didn't need to take a deep breath.

"Would you believe me if I told you I'm Uchiha Sasuke?" Sakura said in a strangely calm voice, even with the audacity of cocking her head and clasping her hands being her back. As if she didn't perceive Orochimaru as a threat but more as an underclassman seeking homework help that, she, as his senpai or sensei, had a duty to teach.

"You...?" Orochimaru seemed to fumble for words until seeing that she was unfazed by his suffocating presence. He tripled his release of killing intent and Sakura froze, realizing it wasn't a matter of keeping calm anymore but a matter of defending herself against killing intent; killing intent wasn't mere intent, but a cohesion of mere yin chakra alone leaked out alter the atmosphere. Objectively, it was a physical battle. "Then **who** was that **boy**?"

Sakura bit her lip, attempting to form a protective chakra barrier around her body, but Orochimaru's killing intent easily seeped inside and she saw flashes of her death and felt the tightening of her chest.

_It's just like six years ago when all those Uchiha died, only with me this time! But all those Uchiha...they didn't deserve to die, they were so nice to me! Sasuke is nice to me and Orochimaru wants to take the last member of the family the Uchiha had? _**SHANNARO! I'LL HATE YOU SO MUCH IF YOU TRY TO KILL SASUKE! I'M TAKING YOU DOWN BEFORE I DECIDE ANYTHING ELSE, OR THIS FURY WON'T STAND FOR IT!**

Sakura's defensive chakra quickly transformed into offensive killing intent, yin chakra destroying his and intensifying her own, sending it back to the Sannin.

Orochimaru dropped to a knee, not out of breath, but out of impression at her small victory.

Sakura stared over him, vindictive demonic eyes applying layers of genjutsu that would keep him paralyzed. Or at least attempting to. _Am I supposed to make eye contact? _

"That boy is an ANBU operative," Sakura tested. "Did you think Hokage-sama would place a civilian on a team with a Jinchuuriki and the last Uchiha?"

Nearby, Koneko was currently scaling the trees with ninja wire full of seals in his mouth, working with Meneko and some other cats- while another Uchiha cat was off tree hopping away to find any Exam proctors and Kakashi to alert them. Earlier, she had applied a transparency genjutsu onto their bodies. They couldn't be detected and if the best outcome happened, they wouldn't be needed.

A low cackle escaped his throat as he raised his head, long black hair falling over his face, over his _eyes_. "**Kukukuku**, who would have thought?"

"I should have known," Orochimaru smiled, "With Danzo in power, it was inevitable he engender clandestine,_ precautionary measures _to ensure the protection of Konoha."

Sakura perked up at the familiar-sounding mention of Danzo and tried to remember what Obito said about him. She could vaguely remember he was a man to be hated.

"He was my substitute for a while," Sakura continued weaving her story, "Hokage-sama said I had to hide my Sharingan and keep my heritage a secret and I wasn't allowed to use any Uchiha techniques, while I had to assist my teammate in honing them." Sakura decided to add an element of truth. "I think Hokage-sama does the same to Naruto, although that doesn't affect his strength...like with me."

"Hiruzen was only trying to protect you," Orochimaru offered, though he couldn't stop his widening smirk.

"**IT HINDERS MY PROGRESS!**" Inner Sakura emerged. "**I HAVE SO MANY GOALS AND I CAN'T DO ANYTHING!" **

**"MAYBE AFTER I BECOME CHUUNIN, I'LL HAVE MORE AUTHORITY TO DO THE THINGS I WANT!"**

**"ITACHI TOOK THEIR LIVES AND I WANT THEM BACK!"**

**"MOVE IT, YOU'RE IN MY WAY!" **

Flabbergasted Orochimaru should have taken the last line as a warning, but it was too late when he felt a fist connect to his jawbone, and his brains exploding within due to the pressure.

He tipped over, falling hundreds of feet down to the earth and Sakura stared at her newly bruised fist in astonishment. _Well, that was awfully easy. _

Orochimaru crawled out of the former shell of his body, panting and exhausted.

_Yep, too good to be true. _Sakura frowned. _How many times do I have to keep killing him before he runs out of chakra?_

Suddenly, wires hanging from all over the branches of the forest tightened around that one tree bark where Orochimaru was nearest. Within milliseconds, he was tied up head to tie by steel, the doing of the Uchiha cat summons.

_That wire can't contain him for long- maybe if I keep burning him, he'll die. _Sakura hopped off the branch, free-falling for a few seconds before landing with a thud to the roots of the tree. She stumbled a bit before moving her hands in a few hand seals.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"

The fireball flew itself into the tree as the steel heated up and burned. Sakura tried to think of preservation seals to keep the steel from melting- too bad she couldn't remember the smaller details. _If only Naruto was here. I don't have any seals on me! _

In the end, Orochimaru's body turned into soot along with the wire. The tree's bark became black ash.

Emerging from the soot, was a fresh and wet Orochimaru.

**UGH! NOT AGAIN!**

_I killed him what, 2 times alread-_

Wavering, Orochimaru charged and engaged her into a taijutsu match. For two minutes, she predicted and countered his attacks. He was too exhausted to move fast enough and Sakura was the #1 (only) student of Obito Uchiha. The only thing she lacked was chakra, but at this moment, her physical state was superior. She augmented every strike with chakra.

And then, as she began shielding her body against friction, she realized just how slow Orochimaru was-

_I'm not fighting Oro to "test my power," but to keep him from going after Sasuke and Naruto. But now they're far enough away, they're safe. There's no point in this battle anymore, and now it's my turn to try to survive for their sake too._

_Plus...he's too slow to catch me. _

So Sakura pivoted, and in a burst of pinpoint chakra control that exploded the ground beneath her feet, she vanished.

It was unquestionable that she could have outran any Hokage that wasn't Minato or Tobirama, but...

After covering a kilometer of distance in a flash, a tremendous menacing gate rose up from the rumbling ground before her. The red gate was a giant door with a gray sharp-teethed demon face, wide and taller than the trees. She looked up and saw that the top of the gate almost touched the sky- it was that high.

Orochimaru's Summoning: Rashomon was meant to be a shield to completely intercept a powerful S-ranked attack. But right now, it was just a wall that blocked her way, and she was at the dead center of it.

Her Sharingan glanced to the left and right, measuring. Both directions were approximately five hundred meters for her to get around the Gate, and Orochimaru could intercept her before she made it- the Snake creep had less distance to cover should he take a hypotenuse path.

"Tree-walking" the gate would take even longer, and the Creepy man could take her down by throwing an elemental jutsu without moving his feet to chase. Plus she didn't have enough chakra remaining to tree-walk, much less keep her Sharingan activated for this long!

_I have to find some way to bank my chakra somewhere and save it up for situations like these! _Sakura realized, although she had no idea how to do it...yet.

**Forehead, stop daydreaming on impossibilities to defeat Orochimaru, you know you can't win! He's got you completely...**

Two more demon gates emerged on both sides of the first gate, squaring her in like a fence-cage. There was only one opening, from which Orochimaru was approaching.

**...surrounded. **

Sakura gulped. _I killed him so many times and he keeps reviving himself. He doesn't even look tired. _

**SHANNARO! HOW THE HELL DO I DEFEAT HIM?!**

_You can't._

Then her body caught up. Her breathing rate accelerated. She backed up.

That only tempted the Snake creep. Orochimaru was advancing with her every retreating step.

_Climb the wall!_ She saw that the wall was a 'summon' embedded with chakra. It wasn't wise to touch that thing.

_Orochimaru has been holding back this whole time. I don't know any assassination jutsu to end this quick. _

_Except...Genjutsu. That's the only thing I'm good at. _

_Maybe I can get him to go away._

Forcing the last of her chakra into her eyes, Sakura glared into Orochimaru's sneering face.

_[TurnAroundLeaveKonohaGoAwayLeave!]_

His steps stopped for four seconds as time stilled, then he started walking again.

Sakura gasped, exhaling as her chakra system drained out. Her crimson eyes turned onyx black rather than its usual emerald green. She breathed hard, raspy breaths, and dropped to her knees.

_Sorry, Naruto, Sasuke...Kakashi...Obito...Hana...Shiku...Sawa..._

_...I couldn't do it._

Konoha-designed shinobi boots and the bottom of the pale yellowish furisode-style kimono stopped beneath her blank gaze. It was a soothing sight, but just above were ebony hair that framed his translucent skin and yellow irises with black pupil slits; the rogue Sannin towered over her, threatening with something beyond death.

Orochimaru grabbed her by her neck and slammed her against the gate in a choke-hold, and pressed his body against hers to crush her.

Unfortunately for him, Sakura was too out-of-it to react enough to entertain him, and her chakra system was in far more pain than anything physical Orochimaru could have induced. If there was an absolute zero for chakra amount, Sakura's went negative- or at least, it _felt_ that way. She couldn't breathe or cry because the Snake's fingers were wrapped around her neck. She closed her eyes.

_I'm glad it's not Sasuke or Naruto. And since I'm going to die, I might as well dream about Obito. _

She imagined 12-year-old Obito on team 7 of a four-genin-team led by Kakashi-sensei. Obito loved ramen as much as Naruto, and all four of them eat at Ichiraku's where Kakashi sometimes joined in.

Obito training Sasuke on using the Sharingan.

Obito studying Fuuinjutsu from Naruto.

Kakashi and Obito reading porn and laughing like best friends.

Sakura lecturing Obito- (Sakura smirked at this thought, since in reality it had always been Obito lecturing Sakura.)

...

Obito hugging Sakura.

...

Sakura smiled cheerfully. She should daydream like this more often. It make her feel all happy inside. Not to mention, thoughts like that got rid of all the pain. Sakura even giggled.

Which was completely weird to Orochimaru. He grew furious, hating heroes that died with a smile on their face. Not that he was going to kill her, but he was so close. He needed her body.

Orochimaru leaned his mouth against Sakura's neck, extended his fangs...and bit.

Sakura was already unconscious before the curse seal marred her skin.

Obito tearing Sasuke's eyes out.

Obito ripping the Kyuubi out of Naruto's seal.

Obito stabbing Kakashi in his heart.

Obito...laughing maniacally over Sakura's dead body.

**_TH-THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! STOP SHOWING ME THESE IMAGES! THAT'S NOT HIM! OBITO IS A COMRADE! _**

She tried grasping control of her mind, attempting anything she could to get Obito to stop.

The curse seal convulsed at her neck when Orochimaru drew back, dropping her body to the ground. Upon impact, the black tomoe markings slowly spread across her body.

"Ooh? This seems a little...early." Orochimaru raised his eyebrows, fascinated, and licked his lips. "Immediately activating Stage One, while unconscious? Hmmm...Interesting...fufufufu, it seems more research shall be employed..."

Sakura tearing Sasuke's eyes out.

Sakura ripping the Kyuubi out of Naruto's seal.

Sakura stabbing Kakashi in his heart.

Sakura...laughing maniacally over Obito's dead body.

Yes...Sakura had succeeded in stopping Obito...because she took his place.

But...she didn't know why she was hurting all her friends, or why she was laughing. Wasn't laughter supposed to come from happiness? What could be so happy about hurting her friends? Shouldn't she be feeling sad about this instead?

Orochimaru lowered himself. He didn't miss the slight opening of Sakura's black eyes and wide grin on her face.

"I see you like my gift, little cherry blossom." Orochimaru purred, brushing the pink bangs off her face. "I would claim you this instant, but, judging by your expression, it seems there is no need of that anymore. Hehehe, wouldn't want you to misunderstand your priorities and resist...that would prove problematic, for I cherish nothing more than blind loyalty..." Orochimaru chuckled at the reminder of his subordinates...Kimimaro, Zaku, Tayuya, Dosu, and countless more experiments...Every one of them was willing to sacrifice their life for Orochimaru's whims. Sakura would be his rarest collectible.

His touch grew gentle as if her skin was made of gold and soon he withdrew his hand; she deserved to be untouched and displayed in a museum. The Sharingan was the most powerful dojutsu in the world and she was the last Uchiha specimen- Orochimaru thought and a hungry smirk snaked across his lips. "Victory tastes sweeter when you leave of your own accord...And you WILL leave Konoha."

Orochimaru chuckled as his hand heated up- her skin was burning with a fever. "Yesss...You will come to me seeking power..."

Orochimaru stood to his feet, taking slow retreating steps, as if reluctant to leave. He tilted his head back for one last glance at his soon-to-be most prized possession.

"But if you don't...You'll die..." ..."Kuh...KUHAHAHAHAHA!"

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	56. Revenge

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The loud clashing noises of fighting awoke her, and Sakura's eyes snapped open with instant sharp vision. Taking in her surroundings, she found herself inside a makeshift cave underneath giant tree roots.

And then, it was like the vision from her nightmares had become reality.

Upon turning her gaze outward, she saw Naruto unconscious out in the open with gaping wounds of fresh blood and Sasuke brought down to his knees, about to collapse from chakra exhaustion. There was also a female Sound ninja that was unconscious.

The only awake ones, besides an extremely tired Sasuke, were two foreign Sound shinobi, presumably the ones who hurt her boys- especially when they were in no shape to fight after facing Orochimaru.

_These Sound Shinobi...They took out Naruto and Sasuke...Just how strong are they? _

**HEHEEHEHEEH, _WHAT'S_ THE MATTER, FOREHEAD? DETACHED AND ANALYTICAL? YOU'RE NOT SCARED, ARE YOU? DO YOU NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR FRIENDS? THEN FIGHT! SLAUGHTER THEM.**

Sakura stumbled onto her feet, staggering towards the only comrade that was alive enough to speak.

"**Sasuke...Who did this to you?**"

Her pink hair shadowed her eyes and Sasuke couldn't see her face. Something about her made him shiver with fear- but the annoyance could never even be slightly intimidating. It didn't fit. That senseless fear turned into rational concern as he gasped, attempting to stand. "Tch! Meiwaku, you should be resting!"

"It was me." Zaku goaded.

Her chakra reserves were nearly empty, but a foreign source of power came from the curse mark; corrupted natural energy.

One moment she was standing above Sasuke bristling with rage, the next she had pulled back Zaku's arms, and was propping the heel of her foot against the spine of his back.

"**You seem so proud of those arms...**" Sakura smiled sadistically, tightening her grip. "**It would be a shame..."** She added more pressure to his back as he hiccuped from pain. "...**if something..." **More pressure.** "...were to..."** Bones bent. "**...happen.**"

_Crack._

Zaku screamed.

The muscles and tendons of his arms detached from his shoulders as he fell forward, fainting as Sakura released him.

Sakura cracked her neck, before kicking the boy in the ribs which flew him across the forest. He crashed through a tree and slammed into another tree, before dropping to the ground like a ragdoll. Sasuke widened his eyes in disbelief.

Then, Sakura cracked her knuckles next, and her gaze landed on Dosu. She opened her mouth to say something intimidating, but closed it and settled for a smile instead.

That was far more terrorizing to Dosu, although he resisted the urge to scream and run. He was the strategist of the team and the most emotionless, so he had to think rationally. Those markings that were spread across her skin emitted the same aura he'd seen on Orochimaru's strongest guards, the Sound Four. _Why does she have the Curse Mark?_

She was approaching at a lethargic pace but Dosu knew it was a facade. _What are you thinking, Orochimaru-sama? You made her faster than the speed of sound. Not to mention, if she advanced another level of the seal, her skin would be immune to my sound attacks. _"That's it, I surrender! I'll give you my scroll!"

Killing intent happened next.

**"_A scroll won't compensate enough for the pain you inflicted upon my family_. Nothing can."**

The atmosphere thickened with an evil, impalpable substance until he couldn't breathe and his legs weakened. He fell on his butt and tried to scoot away from the monster coming closer.

**"It's all over for you..._permanently_." **She was going to kill him.

"Don't do it, Sakura!" Sasuke screamed, pushing himself up. "It's over already, we've won! Don't kill him!"

"**SAYS THE GUY WHO WILL KILL ITACHI FOR THE SAME REASONS!" **Sakura shouted, glaring scathingly at Sasuke.

Sasuke hesitated. She had a point. _Vengeance for hurting someone precious_. ..._Does she really think of me as someone special enough to avenge...? _

It was out of love for his dead family that Sasuke sought revenge for...Could it be out of love for him, and Naruto, that Sakura was acting this way?

In that case, Sasuke wasn't going to stop her.

He stepped backwards, out of her way...And turned his back. He really didn't want to see this. And then he wondered...If his family would feel the same way about him killing Itachi. Would his parents be too repulsed to watch him murder his older brother, the same way he _felt_ disgusted by Sakura at this very moment?

No...it wasn't disgust he felt- it was panic, terror, sadness, regret, and most of all, **guilt**.

Would his mother and father feel the same way if they knew what he was doing...? Maybe...If so, maybe he should stop.

But Sasuke loved his parents more than whatever they might have believed in, so he wasn't going to give up on revenge even if they begged him to. Likewise, Sasuke was certain Sakura loved_ him_ more than whatever misgivings he felt about her actions. So he looked away, and breathed slow hn's of resignation.

"WAKE UP!"

For a split second, Sakura stiffened. There was no mistaking that raspy and exuberant voice. . _Of all the times, why did you have to wake up now?_

"SAKURA-CHANNNN!" She heard him leap to his feet, that usual loud thud for every little clumsy movement. "DON'T OVERSLEEP, SAKURA-CHAN, OR YOU'LL BE LATE AGAIN!"

Sakura narrowed her eyes into a death glare, although it wasn't directed towards _him_ since she hadn't taken her eyes off her target. What was _Naruto_ playing at?

Bloody orange jumped in front of her target, blocking her path. His arms were spread wide open as if to prevent her from walking around him or to hug her.

"**Out of my way, NARUTO," **Sakura growled with her usual tone of hostility towards the baka, although this time it was true hostility.

"NO! NO!" Naruto's eyes started growing tears. He retracted his Kyuubi chakra. "I don't want this! The Sakura-chan I know would never forgive herself if she took a life! Even though you're doing it to protect us and for revenge, don't do it! We're best friends, right? Right?! We don't _die_ for our friends, we_ live_ for our friends!"

"**Heh, life? You think I care about the life of worthless scumbag who wouldn't save his own comrade over his own? Hah! Hahahah!"** Then Sakura frowned, adopting a serious expression.** "I WANT TO DESTROY EVERYTHING THAT HURTS YOU, NARUTO!"**

Naruto froze. "B-But that included- almost e-everyone in K-Konoha-" One look at her expression told him she was actually considering it. "YOU CAN'T DESTROY KONOHA! They're finally starting to acknowledge me, 'TTEBAYO!"

Sakura's lips thinned into a neutral line. "**Naruto, where is your hatred?"**

"I don't need hatred because I have you, and that's good enough for me!" Naruto retorted. "I can't believe _you_ of all people are asking me that! You're supposed to be Sakura Haruno, Konoha's future Hokage!"

Sakura was confused. "**What are you talking about? ...I am Sakura.**"

"Not the _you_ right now! You're not the Sakura I know! And I know you know you're not you either! 'Cos you showed me happiness, you know it better than anymore, 'tebayo!"

Naruto's lips twitched into a grin. "Even if Sakura-chan calls me an idiot, she helps me with my homework! Sure Sakura acts like Iruka-sensei but she really likes pranks! Sure Sakura-chan can be mean sometimes but she's also super nice and doesn't truly hurt anyone, ever! Because Sakura-chan makes yesterday's enemies into tomorrow's friends. Sakura-chan's always looking for a perfect solution where _everyone_'s happy and no one gets hurt! Sakura-chan doesn't hate anyone! Believe it!"

Naruto's grin split his face. "Because that's who Sakura-chan is!"

Sakura's hands dropped to her sides, suddenly feeling weak. _What's happening to me?_

"And that Sakura-chan is still inside you! So wake up, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura stared blankly at Naruto. Her Cursed Seal retracted _halfway_ back, so half her skin was clear.

Sasuke stared at Naruto in amazement.

How could he have been so blinded in his own notions, after seeing the degraded state Sakura had descended into? Only Naruto had noticed something wrong with that picture. That was why Naruto would never have understood him. They had polar opposite perspectives… until now, that he was feeling a shred of doubt on his own resolves and a sense of truth in Naruto's.

_N…Naruto is right. Tch, how could I let the Dead Last show me up?! Whatever vengeance Sakura gains for us, it's not worth losing herself!_

_Would I turn out exactly like that if I kill Itachi? _

_I admit, hatred makes you stronger, _Sasuke shifted his gaze onto Sakura who looked to be completely broken. _But if this is what 'strength' means, I don't want that 'kind' of strength anymore. Not for Sakura…and not for me. _

With the last of his power, Sasuke sprinted towards her and grabbed her shoulders and shook rapidly. "STOP FOOLING AROUND AND WAKE UP, YOU OVERSLEEPING ANNOYANCE!"

Sakura's head grew dizzy from Sasuke swinging her body like crazy. "AAH! BAKA SASUKE!" _Punch._

Sasuke rubbed the growing lump on his head indignantly. "Tch, I thought you grew out of that habit."

"Sakura-chan's back!" Naruto pointed out.

"And you reverted back to your dobe-ness," Sasuke retorted though he couldn't help but smile.

Sakura blinked, dumbfounded. "Uhh….Yeah…." She mumbled out, her head feeling fuzzy and disconcerted. Because she didn't have enough chakra, she had been moving by the Curse Seal alone, but now that the Curse Seal was back inside her neck… "…Sorry guys."

Then she lost her balance and fell forward unconscious.

Naruto caught her from her right side and chest, Sasuke had her left arm and stomach. They carefully laid her down—

"Wait," Sasuke alarmed, "That sound nin is still there."

Naruto gulped. "I forgot about him!"

Dosu had his bandaged mouth hanging open, and the scroll in his weakened hands rolled off onto the floor.

He closed his mouth. He had been afraid to make any sudden movements because the pink-haired monster was there, but now he'd regained his nerves. He stood up, his hands raised in a surrendering gesture.

"I offer you the scroll as a tradeoff for the lives of my teammates." Dosu bargained.

"Hn." Sasuke acquiesced.

There was a difference here. Orochimaru had ordered Dosu, Zaku, and Kin to target Sasuke Uchiha specifically. He didn't inform them of any…updates…on the situation.

So the Sound team targeted Sasuke. Sasuke had been on the lookout and protecting Naruto and Sakura before Naruto shortly woke up to fight.

So in Naruto's persepective, the Sound team wasn't working for Orochimaru; they just wanted a scroll and only fought Sasuke because he was standing guard at the front.

"Thanks, but we're almost outta time before the Exams end," Naruto informed him as he checked one of his sealing tags. "Your teammates are down and you need two scrolls. Are you gonna go home now?"

Dosu swallowed. Orochimaru was going to mutilate them if they didn't pass, and they needed to for the Invasion. He shrugged a shoulder. "Never give up, eh?"

Sasuke looked mad that Naruto was talking to the enemy. Again.

"YATTA! NEVER GIVE UP!" Naruto liked that spirit and took out a scroll, giving it to Dosu.

Sasuke exhaled. Oh, it wasn't _the scroll_, it was just—

"A storage scroll of my lucky ramen," Naruto grinned. "Good luck!"

Dosu sweatdropped. Leaf shinobi were powerful _and_ insane. He took the orange scroll, and lifted Kin over his shoulder. He then walked all the way across the field to pick Zaku up too. Then he left them.

Naruto blinked, and picked up Earth scroll. "Wow, Sakura-chan was brutal." Naruto jumped. "NO WAIT SAKURA'S STILL HURT! WE GOTTA GET HER TO THE TOWER FOR MEDICS! C'MON TEME HELP ME OUT HERE!" Naruto took Sakura's left arm and put it around his neck.

"Hn." Sasuke sighed and took Sakura's right arm, pulling it around his neck. He looked aside. "Yeah, let's go."

Revenge…didn't feel so appealing anymore.

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Thanks for reviewing!


	57. Fixing Insanity

**Author Note:** Thanks for waiting! You probably don't remember these guys—kudos if you do!

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Gaara gasped out large globs of blood as a lethal Executioner Blade slashed across his chest.

Zabuza swiped his Kubikiribocho diagonally upward, flinging Gaara's blood into the air as he shoved his foot into Gaara's newly opened wound, kicking him across the forest.

Gaara smashed his head into a boulder, which bounced him into the floor as blood flew out of his head and chest. He attempted to push himself up, but fell again. It was dizzy, and a new experience. And…_Blood. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts!_

Gaara had never felt pain before, not even a small scratch—and right now he was feeling a surplus of it. He didn't know what to think. It felt mind-numbing and body-exciting. It made him feel more alive than killing people did.

**Kill them…! ..!...! … Let me… free. I shall take your pain away. ..Release me…**

_No…Get out of my mind, you monster! UGH—_

Zabuza stepped on Gaara's hands, kicked his face, dug the hilt of his blade into Gaara's gut, crushed his legs, and tortured him some more. He grabbed Gaara's neck and lifted him, forcefully sliding him up the sharp points of the wall-like boulder. The spikes tore Gaara's clothing and opened new cuts on his back, as the kinetic friction built up between his body and the rock, and Gaara couldn't breathe. Those dark, strong, adult fingers were squeezing his windpipe and holding him in a choke-hold against the outer-wall of a cave. For once, his gourd wasn't on his back…_When did it fall out?_

_…the slash was cut. _

Not only was Gaara feeling his blood flow out his chest, and splinters digging into his back, and a dizzy feeling inside his numbing head, but now, he also felt a suffocating feeling building inside his chest. He tried to suck in breaths, not because he planned to, but his body was trying to save itself—However, Zabuza only squeezed his neck harder.

Gaara squeaked in pain, and his fingers flew to Zabuza's hands, trying to wretch them off. But Gaara had never trained his physical body before—he couldn't overpower Zabuza, his hands kept slipping off Zabuza's. His body was losing strength but he _needed air!_

A few meters away…

Haku cringed, but kept his hold on his Kekkei Genkai. Temari and Kankuro were frozen inside his blocks of ice, not even sparing a crack for the sand siblings to breathe, just like with Gaara. Their bodies were encased by sand from Gaara's earlier assault, but that sand was being encased by ice.

Kekkei Genkai sand vs Kekkei genkai ice.

At the moment, the ice was winning—because the real Gaara in pain.

**Let me OUT! We will DIE!** **KURAMA IS HERE! **

_Shut…up. I'm not releasing you…no matter what. You deceived me for my entire life. Soothing me and pressuring me. Pretending to be the mother that Yashiro loved. Manipulating me. I could have been friends with that girl…but you…it's all because of you that everyone hated me. My brother and sister…I don't think of them as my siblings,because of your existence…They deceived me too. I am a tool used by everyone, but why _should_ I let myself be used? Why should I even stay alive? Why did I stay awake this whole time? What's in it for me? Nothing. I don't care how much they gain from using me, as I gain nothing in return. This is my only chance to die. _

Gaara dropped his hands, feeling himself fade from this world like a ghost. He closed his eyes, two thick black lines for eyelids, and knew nothing, passing out from lack of oxygen and blood loss.

"Hah! Heheeheheh," Zabuza chuckled under his mask of bandages, as he released his iron-grip on Gaara's neck. With a thump, the redhead's body dropped to the floor like a ragdoll. "HAHAAHAHAAHAHAAH!"

"Zabuza-sam—senpai…" Haku sweatdropped underneath his Kirigakure Hunter-nin mask. "You should treat children more gently."

"A hypocrite like _you_ is in no place to be telling me that," Zabuza retorted, "Why don't you take a closer look at your end; those _kids_' faces are blue from frostbite _and_ suffocation."

Haku's hands were formed into hand seals and raised apart from each other, one for each person. He sighed, and let his hands drop to his sides, ceasing his tight hold over his Ice Release.

Temari and Kankuro dropped like puppets to the floor with louder thuds.

Haku cringed again, before turning to Zabuza. "Getting small frostbites aren't as lethal as having his vital organs cut open. He will die within seconds if I don't treat him immediately."

Zabuza grunted, and stepped aside as Haku made his way over to Gaara.

Haku crouched down and performed medical ninjutsu, casting techniques to keep Gaara unconscious and alive at the same time. He pierced a few special pressure points, and then moved on, proceeding to work on Temari and Kankuro, after stripping them, of course. In the end, he pulled out an Earth scroll from Kankuro's black pajama cat-hoodie, and stuffed it inside his pocket.

"I am finished, Zabuza-senpai. We have both scrolls now." Haku smiled.

Zabuza nodded. "We're heading for the Tower next."

"What about…" Haku glanced at the Sand team.

Zabuza spared them a pitying look. "That red-haired runt…"

Haku filled in Zabuza's memory gaps. "His name is Gaara, and his teammates, Temari and Kankuro, are his siblings. The three of them are the Kazekage's offspring."

Zabuza clenched his fists. "I understand the killing of one's teammates…" After all, Kirigakure and Sunagakure had similar views on ninja: shinobi were disposable once they outlived their usefulness. Of course, Anko-sensei made sure to torture that belief out of his bones…So Zabuza didn't believe in that anymore…Still, he _understood _that, but _this_, he didn't understand… "But the killing of _siblings_? _Atrocious_."

Haku begged to disagree. _There's no value in biological family,_ Haku wanted to say, _my own blood-and-flesh father tried to kill me_._ Blood means nothing. If my family was still alive, I would kill them if you commanded it. _But saying that would be a philosophical disagreement to Zabuza-senpai, and Zabuza hated when Haku voiced aloud their moral differences; they'd decided early on for Haku to keep his opinions to himself when Zabuza began training him as a shinobi, and to this day, that hasn't changed.

"Maybe his siblings treated him bad." Haku justified. "Regardless, we are lucky Gaara attempted it. I don't think you'd last two seconds against his sand, Zabuza-senpai; it takes a Kekkei Genkai to defeat a Kekkei genkai. We were bestowed an easy victory because every speck of his sand was converged around his siblings, leaving Gaara open for your attacks."

Zabuza smirked, roughly lifting Gaara over his shoulder. "This little brat has an evil look in his eye, reminds me of myself. It was only a matter of time before he snapped, so I waited."

"Indeed. This is one thing I haven't surpassed you in, Zabuza-senpai." Haku commended. Upon seeing Zabuza pick Gaara up like luggage, Haku followed on, pulling Temari and Kankuro inside ice mirrors. (Haku used Ice Mirrors in place of storage scrolls.) "If I may ask, why are we taking these bodies?"

"The brat knows nothing about 'the value of friendship, love, family, altruism, bonds, comrades,'" Zabuza rambled on the nonsense Anko-sensei sprouted towards traitors during their torture sessions, and Haku tuned him out.

Apparently, Zabuza planned to use classical conditioning and negative reinforcement on Gaara, until the only thing Gaara could think about was _how to help humanity_, not _how to help himself._

Haku shuddered. He liked the thought of people selflessly helping others, but to be _conditioning_ people to become nothing but altruistic? That was no different from deleting a person's individuality.

However, Anko had chosen this field for Haku and Zabuza to specialize in. Anko must have had her reasons; perhaps it was an underneath the underneath thing.

Why were they tasked with messing with a villain's mind until the villain turned into a good guy? If Anko had done this to Zabuza, why would she teach him how to do it to others? Wasn't that risky? Or did she have an ulterior motive?

So many questions, to add on to Haku's dilemma of whether it was even morally correct in the first place.

_Doesn't matter what methods we use, because in the end, we're turning a bad person into a good guy. That has to be good. _Haku decided, and pulled out some torture devices from a floating ice mirror. "We have four days left, Zabuza-senpai. Plenty of time."

Zabuza's chuckle echoed across the cave as he entered it, a perfect hiding spot and shelter for the night. "Heh. We will make the Kazekage's heirs think like Konoha-ninja...Make sure I don't get carried away, or we might end up with an altruistic Maito Gai."

Haku shuddered. _We are fixing insanity; there's nothing wrong with curing a disease._

Resolved, Haku didn't give the topic another thought for a long time.

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"We're getting closer to the finish line," Sasuke remarked, "which means teams will be converging, and lying in ambush. We're in no condition to fight if we're both carrying Sakura." Sasuke swallowed, ashamed of what he would say next. "Naruto, you're stronger than me…so…you be the fighter."

Naruto halted in his movements, and stared at Sasuke with wide eyes. This guy that he'd always admired was acknowledging him… Not to mention that embarrassed expression on_ Sasuke_. Naruto grinned. "Don't worry, Sasuke-teme, I'll protect you!"

"Hn!" Sasuke looked aside, flustered. He pulled Sakura over his back, gripping underneath her thighs and hefting her arms and chin around his shoulders, like a piggy-back ride. "Just don't wander astray, dobe."

"You bet!" Naruto shouted enthusiastically. He had to keep smiling through hard times, for Sasuke's sake.

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**AN**: Writing this chapter creeeped me out.  


Gonna update tomorrow! (Hopefully daily) 

Umm Happy Summer!


	58. Kabuto

"Hold it," Kabuto yelled, alerting them to his presence as he laxly strolled over, his arms raised in a surrendering position. "One of your teammates is unconscious, that makes it dangerous out here!"

Naruto positioned into a battle stance, his fists clenched and his eyes widening into recognition at silver hair tied into a ponytail, the round glasses, and the Leaf headband. _A Leaf genin-senpai? _

Sasuke grit his teeth, clutching Sakura tighter. "Get back!"

Kabuto halted, his hands still held up.

"Watch out, he wants our scroll!" Sasuke warned Naruto, using singular instead of plural.

Kabuto sighed, one hand pushing his glasses up and another reaching inside his vest. He pulled out both Heaven and Earth scrolls and brandished them. "Relax, I already have both scrolls."

"Tch!" Sasuke glared, and Naruto spoke up next.

"Then what do you want?!"

Kabuto put his scrolls away. "I noticed this forest has been too much for that pink haired teammate of yours. Not only is your team one down, but also having a burden to carry the rest of the way. Your combat poweress has drastically decreased—even if you have both scrolls, there's no way you can pass this exam…alone."

Naruto wondered about that. _Oui! Fuzzy Friend! You in there?!_

**SHUT UP, YELLOW ROACH! The name's Kurama! Use that word instead of 'Fuzzy Friend'!**

Naruto inwardly cringed at his harsh tone, but at least he learned his friend's name. _You got it, Kurama-kun! _He could hear Kurama's indignant growl and giggled mischievously.

"Yeah, so what?" Sasuke goaded. "You're planning to help us?"

"Actually, I am," he admitted. "You might have heard of me, my name is Kabuto Yakushi; I help out at our village hospital quite often—I know a few medical tricks, I could heal your teammate," Kabuto offered, raising a hand.

Sasuke backed off. "No. Don't touch."

Kabuto relented, dropping his hand. "You see, this is my seventh time taking the Chuunin Exams, thus I've figured out a few things. For one, the exams are being monitored. Proctors want to see in us the qualities of a chuunin. If they see Leaf shinobi working together with Leaf shinobi of other teams, they are more likely to promote us."

**He's lying, kit.** **I can feel it. But don't call him out. Pretend to be stupid until the right moment. **

Naruto's mouth parted into an 'o'. He started waving his hands like an idiot and flopping back and forth. "Lalalalaala!"

**BAKAYARO! Not that stupid!** Kurama facefloored.

"It's more important to work with _your_ teammates than other squads," Sasuke pointed out. "Where's yours?"

Crestfallen, Kabuto hunched his shoulders over and dropped his hands to his side, eyes downcast at the floor. "You see…I was separated from my teammates. They should be waiting for me at the Tower. But there are ambushers and collectors guarding every possible square inch surrounding the vicinity, waiting for defenseless scroll-holders like us. I assume both of us have all our required scrolls, correct?"

Upon receiving no confirmation or denial, Kabuto continued. "Sasuke and Sakura are out of commission," Kabuto gestured at Sasuke's hands occupying a snoozing Sakura, before graciously gesticulating at a panting Naruto. "Are you going to force _Naruto_ _alone_ to handle the multiple teams that are prepared to fight _full teams_? Or are you going to let me help Naruto? I am in the same boat as you guys, but even better, _without _a luggage to protect. I would say I am gaining the shorter end of the stick out of this bargain, but a short stick is better than no stick. Two fighters are better than none, for you, and for me."

Naruto frowned slightly. _Kurama, you sure he's a bad guy? He sounds really smart like he cares about us, and like he needs our help, and we need his. What do you think? _

**Kit…Don't. Trust. Him. HE'S LYING! This human is just brimming of negativity. Try to break him off your trail. **

_I trust your judgment, Kurama! _

Sasuke took in Naruto's blatantly suspicious face, before turning towards Kabuto. _This guy is the same person who offered me to cheat off his written test. There's something off about him, but we have no other choice. Rejecting his offer could lead to retaliation; we can't afford unnecessary fighting. _

"Hn, Kabuto. Do you know of any environmental genjutsu you may cast around us? I suggest we run straight towards the Tower, nonstop."

Kabuto raised an eyebrow. "What about you? You're an Uchiha,_ surely_ you know of some invisibility genjutsu."

Sasuke grit his teeth, holding a leash on his pride. _I'd rather not waste any chakra casting genjutsu, when you have more chakra than I do. _"If you didn't know, my clan died out when I was very young. They never reached the point to teach me. I don't know any genjutsu."

Kabuto narrowed his eyes. "If you say so, _Uchiha._" His hands formed into a few hand signs, before tapping Sasuke's forehead.

Sasuke gasped slightly. He felt a cloak of chakra cover his skin and clothes, it also covered the Sakura he was carrying.

"WHOOP! That's so cool!" Naruto pointed, hopping from feet to feet. "You and Saku-chan are invisible!"

Kabuto laughed and recast the jutsu on Naruto, whose excitement only grew, before casting it on himself. "It's not complete invisibility if one decides to squint on us, but we're camouflaged. To be honest, I didn't want to use this jutsu on all three of us—but I suppose I had no choice. If just _one_ of us was seen, all three of us would be caught."

Sasuke nodded slowly. "Yeah. Now, let's make a beeline to the tower. We'll have to take a gamble. Hey, Naruto, are you strong enough to carry us both?"

Naruto looked at Sasuke in confusion, before a slow smirk spread across his face. "Sure! Climb on my back!"

Sasuke tightened his hold on Sakura before climbing onto Naruto's back, causing Naruto to stumble under the weight before he grabbed a firmer grip onto Sasuke.

Sasuke could feel Nine-Tailed-Fox Chakra warming up the dobe's body, and used his own chakra to keep an iron-grip on Naruto's arms. "Oi, Kabuto, our strategy is to run as fast as we can towards to tower. Try to keep up, 'kay?"

Naruto crouched into a sprinting position, and winked at Kabuto. "Thanks for your help!" Then, the ground exploded underneath him, as he vanished, along with the two teammates over his back.

Leaving Kabuto behind in a whirlwind of dust.

Kabuto blinked stupefied, before realizing Team 7 ditched him. Gaping at the audacity of them, Kabuto quickly augmented his feet with chakra and gave chase.

He never caught up in time.


	59. We're more similar than I thought, Obito

现实

* * *

"The power to protect your friends isn't only raw power. There are ways to protect your friends besides being good at fighting. Being a good healer can pull your comrade from the brink of death, being a good spy can preemptively stop a danger before it occurs, or even just being there for emotional support can empower someone...There is always more than one method. It doesn't matter how you do it, but how efficient it is." Obito said softly.

Little Sakura listened with wide admiring eyes. He was smarter than Iruka-sensei, who insisted the most important things were taught at the Academy, and doing well there determined one's strength. But Obito...and the now dead elders... had each given her another type of power, things that were not taught at the Academy. They provided her the resources and left the rest to her willpower.

"During my past life, I was the Dead Last of the Academy," Obito mumbled with an embarrassed blush, slumping his shoulders as he rubbed the back of his head. "Eheheh-"

She immediately was reminded of Naruto.

"I was never as strong as Kakashi-Baka," Obito suddenly continued, regaining his cool. "He was...the top student in terms of strength and brains." Obito trailed off, pausing thoughtfully.

"...But now, I am the one protecting him." Obito muttered quietly. "I'm protecting the entire world."

Little Sakura blinked, feeling her heart squeeze in feeling sadness for Obito, though she didn't understand half of what he was talking about. It was probably more because he sounded so sad more than his words.

"Obito-Kun! There's nothing bad about protecting your friends; that's a good thing!"

Obito looked at her with wide desperate eyes, reminding her of a jaded Uchiha having a glimpse of hope that someone would pull them out of loneliness.

"What if...your friend doesn't know you're protecting him?" Obito tentatively asked.

"Umm." Sakura didn't know what to say. "..."

"What if your friend ends up seeing you as a bad person?" Obito queried an octave louder.

"Uhhhh," Sakura grew conflicted. "Then tell him the truth. That you're really protecting him!"

"What if by doing so, your plan will be messed up and you'll no longer be protecting your friend? Just by telling him, the plan is ruined and he DIES!" Obito yelled, wringing his hands, his eyes filled with tears. "Are you that selfish? You want acknowledgment from a friend to the point that you're willing to let him die?!"

Shocked at his extreme reaction, Sakura watched Obito sob again. She felt like a deer caught by a car's spotlights in the middle of the night. She didn't know what to do when Obito cried. Obito had been crying a lot lately.

She carefully processed his words in her head before carefully thinking up with an answer, an answer that she believed was right. Sakura didn't have any playtime friends. She was a selfish girl who pushed Ino away, and then pushed Naruto away next. Unlike Ino, Naruto never backed down when she tried acting violent to show she wasn't interested in him, but he also never got close because she never gave him a true chance; she never gave anyone her age a chance. (Sasuke didn't count because he ignored her,) until Obito...she gave Obito a chance because the elders talked so highly about his good morals and selfless altruism. It turned out they were right, Obito was a good friend.

She acted confident in the past, but she had no friends, so she couldn't have understood Obito's feelings, until now...

Sakura loved Obito's acknowledgment, and wanted more of it...but if by gaining it, Obito would die...then she did not want that at all. If Obito were to think badly of her, but that also meant Obito could stay alive, then she was willing to take on his disdain.

"No, that's wrong," Sakura decided, shaking her head. She walked towards the young boy and placed a white napkin to his wet eyes. "Even if my friend thinks of me as a bad person, I won't stop protecting him. Because I don't want you to die." Sakura said, her emerald eyes watchful.

She knew what a friend meant; it was a person one felt uncontrollable love for. It was unquestionable that Obito felt that way towards Kakashi. She knew he wasn't going to spill the beans that he was protecting Kakashi if doing so would result in Kakashi's death.

Obito stared at her with doubt. "But if he were here, he'd be screaming at me that what I'm doing is evil..."

"Obito-kun, you're doing the right thing," Sakura said stubbornly even though she didn't know had no idea why Obito's friend would think of him as evil. Obito-kun would never hurt another person, he was trying to give peace to everyone; controversial methods be damned, Obito was a pure angel.

"If anything, it's your friend who's in the wrong for not having faith in you," Sakura claimed, feeling a little jealous. **Cha! How petty of me.** "Even if he doesn't know what you're doing and thinks you're evil- it's just as you said, you're using your own method to protect him!"

"I..I know...but...it hurts, right here," he complained, his fist thumping his heart.

"I think your life is more valuable than your eyes seeing me in good light." Sakura said sadly. "Even if it is a really painful feeling..."

"Ah, you think that way too?" Obito leaned into Sakura, their faces almost touching.

Sakura swallowed, feeling like she would be trading her soul over to the devil if she consented, but why wouldn't she? She said these words herself; they came from her own mouth. She nodded mutely.

Obito began to say something else- something more important- a solution.

"Ah, you _do_ feel the same way as me," Obito half-smiled half-frowned, and tilted his head. "If you were ever put in my situation, this world is a _nightmare_...This _reality_ is a nightmare. And if I could change that...if I could fix reality...even if I sacrifice a million lives...if I could bring them all back...to a world where they won't have to cry and suffer and feel pain anymore but only happiness- and love...if I could bring back their loved ones...even though in the process I lose all my friends, as long as I save their lives in the end, I'm doing the right thing?" He was grinning sheepishly and rubbing the back of his head like it was a small matter he was casually musing about, but she knew he was counting on her answer.

Sakura nodded slightly. "Yeah...that makes you an anti-hero, Obito, but still a hero," Sakura told him, knowing that term from the textbook she read in the Academy. She tip-toed to stare into his deep, glowing, scarlet eyes to show she spoke from her heart.

The legendary Mangekyou Sharingan...Obito-kun had it in his eyes...

And then Sakura realized.

Those words Obito-kun had just uttered, those Mangekyou Sharingan...he was telling her something, something personal. Underneath the underneath.

Uchiha Obito had suffered the loss his friend, in order to protect him. Him,-

...Hatake Kakashi.

And...

For some reason, they were both twelve now, and the same height. And through Obito's scarlet eyes, reflected another set of eyes just as red if not more crimson.

Her own eyes.

She couldn't tell whether her eyes were truly red or it was because Obito's were red to begin with and it looked red when she looked into his irises. She didn't know whether it was reality or illusion.

But at that point, Sakura had already come to terms with her theoretical deduction...

_We have a lot more in common than I thought._

And then, Haruno Sakura woke up to reality.

* * *

现实

* * *

**Author note**: Is anyone still reading this story? I legit didn't update for 2 months so I have no idea, please drop a review or PM to let me know.


	60. Heavens' Curse Mark

**Author Note:** I won't deny it, I'm totally feeding off your encouragement [yes, it's been 2 months I've coped without your reviews :( ] But yh, since you're still reading this story, I'm gonna keep updating :)

* * *

忘记

* * *

Sakura blinked groggily awake as she pushed herself from the white bed sheets and hard pillow. She was lying on the bottom of a bunk bed, and beside her, Naruto was snuggled up against her waist with his arms wrapped tightly against her. The blonde was drooling and snoring over her torn and dirty clothes.

Under normal circumstances, Sakura would have smacked the orange pest awake and threw him off the bed, chastising him for getting to ahead of himself. (It was also her way to show that she was fine and energetic as ever.) But this time, that dream just now had shaken her.

She gently unwrapped Naruto's fingers from her waist, careful not to wake him. Then she noticed, on her other side, Sasuke asleep with the side of his body pressed against hers.

She carefully scooted away to the end of the bed, detaching from them. She curled her knees and wrapped her arms around them, pressing her face to her knees and sulking.

**Hey, aren't you supposed to be surprised? Your last memory is dying at Orochimaru's feet, and the next thing you know, you're waking up in a nice comfy bed sandwiched between your teammates. Shouldn't you be, I dunno, relieved and happy a miracle happened? Naru and Sasu saved your skinny ass!**

"I know that..." Sakura muttered under her breath. She raised her palm to touch the black tattoo on her neck. The throbbing had stopped. And then she also noticed; her body was not in excruciating pain anymore. The sleep must have healed her.

**Then what are you acting so depressed for?! You're all here safe and sound, and that strange bite mark on your neck stopped hurting you!**

"You're right!" Sakura bolted up before banging her head on the bunk bed top. _Bam._ "Owww!" Rubbing the growing bruise on her head with her hand as she fell back on her butt withbounce, she eyed Sasuke waking up from their bed while Naruto remained asleep.

The Uchiha sat up, blinking a few times before his vision cleared onto Sakura. He met eye contact with her and stared silently for a few moments, before parting his lips reluctantly. "Mornin', meiwaku..." He paused thoughtfully for a second, as if he didn't know what to say to her. "...You should have woken me up instead of fooling around like a knucklehead."

"Sasu..." She shook her head. "What happened?" She pat her neck again and noticed she couldn't feel anything on her Curse Mark, not even her touches.

_I guess my nerve cells died._

"I hid Naruto so that he couldn't be taken hostage, and when I came back for you, you were already knocked out cold." Sasuke explained with mixed feelings. For a split second, back in the Forest of Death, torn between the desperation to survive, pain and fear, he had considered abandoning Sakura to Orochimaru to save Naruto's life...he squashed that dirty memory away.

"I retrieved you to the cave where I hid Naruto. You two were unconscious, lethally injured, and there was nothing I could do-! Every second, your lives were slipping away. It made me wish you were in my place instead; you could heal while I'm useless." Sasuke expressed angrily. "It showed me firsthand...that power isn't everything...no matter how strong I am, if I can't protect you and Naruto, I'm useless."

"And..." Sasuke pressed his palm against his eyes as a clear salty liquid trickled out, snaking around his hands, his cheeks overflowing with tears, his shoulders trembling. "I'm- not even- that strong to- begin with."

Sakura didn't know what to say. She felt like a deer caught in spotlights. Deja vu?

This was the first time she'd seen Sasuke cry. From what she knew, Sasuke never cried. Not even when all his relatives and family were murdered in cold blood by his own brother.

Sakura was frozen. Helplessly watching him. Her heartbeat screaming her to do something but what exactly?!

That defenseless pose, the whimpering snarl, the downcast raven tresses, the hunched, quivering shoulders, the aura of learned helplessness...it was all so familiar...like Obito-kun on the night of the Uchiha Massacre...

And then instincts kicked in. Her arms wrapped around Sasuke's back as she pushed the boy against her body. She was rigid cold. She moved robotically, as if rehearsed.

She placed her chin tightly over Sasuke's head as she stroked his back, whispering soothing words to his ears. Droplets of hot tears fell on her neck and slid down her skin, she could feel his agony.

"Everything will be alright," Sakura whispered nervously as if trying to convince herself as well, her fingers combing through Sasuke's hair rather than stroking.

"You did well, Sasuke. Good job, Sasuke."

Slowly, Sasuke's hands rose from his legs and clung around her back, he hugged her back. Needfully. Yet, he was also squeezing her. Punishing her for lying. Sakura sighed. This was going to bruise later.

"Hey. When will you be satisfied?" Sakura's eye twitched, as she sent numbing chakra to her back. "You want me to say 'Thank you, Sasuke'?"

Sasuke finally raised his head to look at her, his confused red eyes- from the tears.

She smiled. "I'm never going to thank you, Sasuke. Because it's a given that we do everything to help each other when we need it; me, you and Naruto. You don't thank someone for breathing, ne?"

Sasuke dropped his hands to the bed. Amazed.

"In that case, I won't thank you either," Sasuke uttered with a smile as he wiped off the rest of his tears with the back of his hand. He felt better, somehow. Reminded of their bond, it eased his pain temporarily.

"Mhn. Otherwise, you'd have me thanking you every millisecond of the day," Sakura complained, shuddering. "Also, I'm not saying that you're weak...but even if you fail now, that's no guarantee that you'll fail in the future. You're always growing, Sasuke. Because you learn from every experience, just like Naruto." Sakura said as she stared at Naruto's snoring face. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him up.

Because he didn't brush his teeth, Naruto's stinky breath went into her face as their foreheads collided.

"Ew!" She pushed him off the bed and he woke up with a thump of pain.

"Ouch! Not again!" The blonde screamed as he jumped to his feet, pointing at them accusingly. Suddenly, he grinned and jumped onto the bed, sitting himself in front and between them forming a triangle. "So I heard and saw everything but I pretended to be asleep 'cos I didn't want Teme to get all embarrassed and shut himself up 'cos he always try to look good in front of me 'cos I'm his role model, tehehe-"

"What!" Sasuke exclaimed, his ears tinted red.

"But seriously, Sakura-chan said everything that needed to be said," Naruto told him. "So I didn't have nothin' to say so I kept listening insteada talkin' Oh! I never thank ya either so it's all good!"

This time Sasuke's face was red but he shut his eyes and slapped the dobe over his head. "Hn."

"Oi, don't hit this brain, I'm gonna use it to become a genius!" Naruto protested, and Sakura laughed at their antics. It felt like everything was back to normal between them.

Then Naruto looked at Sakura's eyes. He swallowed. "Sakura-chan, what happened to your eyes?"

Feeling a tight feeling in her chest, Sakura smiled a pained smile._ I can't tell them._ "This isn't a good time to tell you...and I don't want to talk about it..." _My story won't make sense anyway...a ghost? Me, desecrating corpses? Which was probably not only illegal but a heinous deed...if I told them, would they still see me the same way?_

"It's fine, we won't push it." Sasuke said defensively. Which meant a lot since it involved his clan.

"Th-" Sakura stopped herself to look at Naruto. The blonde had determined eyes as he nodded firmly to reassure her.

Sakura smiled._ I promise I'll tell you guys someday...about Obito-kun_.

"On with the story," Sasuke coughed, trying to change the subject. "I was guarding you two when three Sound ninja showed up. We defeated them." Sasuke kept quiet about Sakura's sadism. That wasn't the true Sakura. "Then, we climbed onto Naruto's back. Ten seconds later, we made it here."

"That's 'cos Kurama let me use his chakra," Naruto informed her and she gave him an impressed smile. Feeling a bubbly feeling in his chest, he added, "we were the first team here and broke the time record of all past exams!"

"Wow." Sakura remarked. Even after all that time we spent fending off against Orochimaru and the Sound ninjas?

"Heh. It's because we're the strongest team. Nothing can stop us," Sasuke pointed out in his typical smug tone with a smirk.

Unable to help herself, Sakura threw both her arms around Naruto and Sasuke, hugging each of them to her shoulders ag ainst her cheeks. "You guys..."

They sat still like that for a few moments savoring the peace after a long period of unrest and fear, before Sakura suddenly froze up.

A certain something snapped inside her- and then, exhilarating pain and her vision slowly, slowly began to cloud with gray spots- but she didn't fall unconscious-

Her neck was burning, she could feel HIM in that spot in her neck. She hallucinated a dark demonic creature emerge and climb out the spot from her neck, materialize and tear off Naruto's head and eat Sasuke alive.

"AAAAAHH EEUGH!" Sakura cried, her hand went up to her neck squeezing the bite mark Orochimaru left as she choked.

She could not see clearly, her vision blurred with black spots but she shook her head trying to snap out of it, even as her body felt weak and every cell was in pain. Her skin was pale white and she was panicking, falling backwards.

Immediately, she felt someone catch her back, and lie her down carefully. Sakura closed her eyes.

"She fainted," Sasuke remarked.

Before Naruto could respond, Sakura shot up again.

"I did not faint," she said matter-of-factly, her voice sounding normal. "I just saw blotches in my vision, a natural effect when your brain nerves focus entirely on an injury's pain, leaving less of it to work your vision. It's nothing to worry about- I Sakura Haruno never faint and am not about to start now!" She raised a thumbs-up for extra measure over her serious-looking determined face.

Naruto burst out laughing, "Hahaahahah! You fainted back there in the forest!"

Sakura's face went red, "hey! In my defense, I was fighting Oro-fucking-maru! I bet not even the Hokage can beat him!"

Naruto stuck his tongue out, "Sandaime-jiji would totally kick Oro's ass!"

"Idiots," Sasuke sighed, "you can't make an accurate judgment without knowing the combat capability of both sides...though we did get a good look at Orochimaru, unfortunately for us...Sakura, you okay?"

Sakura was blanked out, staring at the wall.

"Sakura!"

"Eh? Oh! I'm fine." Sakura faked a smile.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I just want some rest. What time and day is it?"

"One day before the preliminaries, midnight. As I said, we got here early. You don't need a medic?"

"I'm a medic right here, the best in Konoha," Sakura bragged despite probably not being the very best, but she didn't study medical ninjutsu all her life for nothing. After all, even when she passed out back there, during her unconscious state she disabled all her nerves surrounding her curse Mark so that it wouldn't spread. However, just now, it almost did spread- almost made her into that revenged crazed maniac who broke the Sound nin's arms. She forced it back just now. She won't transform. Not in front of these two. Not a second time. Sasuke's eyes were distrustful, Naruto looked over-protectively weary.

Deciding to do something to ease the tension between her boys, Sakura pushed healing chakra to her palms and placed them over her vitals, healing them. She realized her most prominent injury was chakra exhaustion- none of her major organs were ruptured. All she needed was rest to recover for the most part, and she already got three days of rest thanks to Naruto getting them here so fast. She didn't heal her minor injuries such as bruises and scratches because she wanted to preserve chakra, even though Obito had showed her medical ninjutsu documents about how to restore chakra or even store them in a spot on her oversized forehead for emergencies. She made a mental note to work on that, so that anything like her disaster with Orochimaru would never happen again.

Naruto and Sasuke appeared slightly more relieved at the sight of her healing herself.

Sakura's stomach growled.

Naruto handed her some fat, brown, round food pills the size of handballs. They were the ones Team 7 cooked before the exams. Sakura's black eyes grew wet with emotion as she took the food pill in her hands, taking big bites of it like bread and swallowing it hungry. It was a nasty bitter taste, but she could feel her energy replenishing. Her stomach was feeling better and she couldn't stop eating. When she finished the pill, she held out her hand for more.

Sasuke sighed and gave her his own food ball.

Sakura finished it too before burping. Flustered, she grinned sheepishly, her hand over the back of her head.

"You healed your wounds," Sasuke said seriously, "but what of Orochimaru's seal on your neck?"

"If I can't cure it, no one can," Sakura said. Except maybe Tsunade of the Sannin, but the Sannin wasn't in Konoha and even if she was, the woman probably couldn't do it because this was not something that could be cured my medical ninjutsu, Sakura tried. Sakura ran a diagnosis jutsu over her neck and found that no matter how much mitosis she conducted, the black chakra would just keep eating at her normal chakra and worm itself into her chakra points and muscle. And there was something in it that repelled her so she could neither access, treat, nor observe it any more than that.

This was not a Curse Mark that could be healed by medical ninjutsu...much less the ones they have in Konoha.

Sakura smiled through her white lie. "I don't need a medic. I feel perfectly healthy except a little pain that will subside over time."

"Hn," Sasuke wanted to protest but he relented, knowing he wasn't a medic nin. Not yet.

"Oh." Naruto's eyes looked sad...perhaps Kurama had pointed something out to him. Perhaps he just knew Sakura more than he knew himself. But if he really believed Sakura he wouldn't have such a sad look on his face.

Sakura rolled over on the bed and pulled the covers over herself, squeezing her eyes shut and curling herself into a ball. "G'nite."

"'Night, meiwaku, dobe." Sasuke answered, crawling underneath her blankets.

Naruto joined them, squirming to Sakura's other side so she was sleeping in the middle, where it was warm from them both. "I love you Sakura-chan, Sasuke-teme-!" Naruto confessed before falling straight asleep.

Sakura huffed, a smirk on her face. "Baka..."

But her conscious slipped away in peace.

* * *

**3:00 A.M.**

* * *

Naruto woke up to the scent of blood. Bolting up, he squinted through the darkness dappled by the dim shade of the moon through the curtains. Across the room on the floor sat Sakura with her back against the wall. Her left forearm was wrapped around her knees which were pressed to her chest. Her right hand was clawing at the curse Mark on her neck, her nails scraping long lines on her neck. These four long scratches over her Curse Mark, blood seeping out, as her fingers dug into her neck.

"S-s-Saku-chan!"

She seemed to ignore him.

"Stop hurting yourself!" Naruto stammered a little louder as he crawled his way over to her side. No, she said something during the second he spoke- _what did she say?!_

"It feels disgusting..." Sakura murmured, her pink bangs over her ruby eyes which used to be emerald. Her claw marks bleeding from her neck as she squeezed the Curse Mark. "I can still feel **that man**."

"Stop." Naruto ordered, both his hands gripping Sakura's wrist. "You're hurting yourself."

Sakura looked at Naruto then with surprise. She snapped her hand away. "Mind your own business you nuisance."

Naruto looked hurt. But he cared enough about Sakura to not throw a hissy fit over her coldness.

"You're my best friend," Naruto pleaded. "Don't give up. That thing on your neck is hurting you, don't hurt yourself. Don't just give up so easily. There must be a cure and if there isn't, you can find one. And if you can't do that, you can endure it like it's nothing but a tattoo. Because you're Sakura-chan who never backs down. You won't let a bite mark get the better of you."

Sakura put her hand down. She furrowed her eyebrows in concentration. Her fingernails caused physical pain over her neck which blocked out the sensation of evil which threatened to take her over- but she removed that buffer for Naruto's sake...and now it feels worse. Less pain, sure, but there was a nauseating feeling of greediness that threatened to take over. A hateful feeling that urged her to track down every person who wronged her and kill them, starting with the man who killed the elders: Uchiha Itachi, and then going for Orochimaru next for hurting her friends, and then Zabuza, and Haku, and that Sound nin, and then every person in Konoha for neglecting Naruto, and then every living thing in world for being so evil and allowing these events to happen.

Sakura let out a muffled scream and buried her face in her knees. She breathed hard, inhaling deeply and letting out a stressful breath, before setting her now pure-black eyes upon Naruto's cerulean ones.

"Na...ruu...to..." She panted, her eyes looked lost and scared. "...I..."

Naruto touched her forehead. Burning hot. He withdrew his hand and waited, "what is it, Sakura-chan?"

She swallowed and her eyes turned determined and sure of herself. "You're right. This is nothing. I won't let myself be taken over by something worthless," Sakura placed her hands on the floor and pushed herself up, stumbling a few steps forward before she managed to stand up, albeit wobbly. She turned towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Naruto asked, concerned.

"To the bathroom." Sakura answered, her hand on the doorknob. "I need some privacy to discover a new medical treatment for myself. I'll return after I deal with this pesky Curse Mark. It's just as you said, Naru, I can't give up. I'll cure myself." She opened the door, the soft light from the moon shining through the window creating a faint glow over her silhouette, she looked almost divine. "I won't give up until I win, so there's nothing left for you to worry about. Get back to sleep, Naruto." And then the door shut behind her and she was gone.

Naruto kept staring at the closed door even minutes after she left...Then that door opened and he recognized his masked sensei walk in.

"Ooh? You're awake?" Kakashi's eye curled.

"Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto came back to his senses.

"Naruto?" Kakashi instantly got serious, setting down his orange Icha Icha and giving him his full attention. "What's wrong?"

Naruto turned away, his eyes downcast.

Naruto took a long moment to answer.

"I'm not sure." Naruto clenched his fists. "I felt this very same feeling before 'ttebayo. That same feeling I had when I was five: during the moments after I released Sandaime-jiji's expensive flower vase right before it hit the floor and shattered beyond repair. I feel it right this moment." Naruto look up at Kakashi with semi-desperate eyes.

"You feel that way because the fight with Orochimaru isn't over," Kakashi intoned neutrally, slowly. "I arrived early for a meeting with Anko-chan, who has the same condition as Sakura. She's 'agreed' to screw up the already long-decided match-ups just to put Sakura's fight as the last one in the Preliminaries. Isn't that nice of her?"

Naruto looked at Kakashi, "what are you saying?"

"Welll," Kakashi's eye curled back to its humorous expression, "have fun, fight for Chuunin!"

Naruto didn't look amused.

Kakashi's eye opened. "There are things you can do with fuuinjutsu that you can't use medical ninjutsu or any technique for. Not many people know the art of sealing but I was...Minato's student." Kakashi trailed off remembering that he had planned to tell Naruto about his heritage...later. "I'm going to seal Sakura's Curse Mark. It's all been dealt with, don't worry. Get your rest and focus on the Chuunin Exams. I'd rather not you fuss over a problem that I am about to fix in several seconds."

The blonde gasped, tears flowing down his eyes like waterfalls. "Hic, hic- KAKASHI-SENSEI ARIGATO!" Naruto tackle-hugged him before getting pushed off.

"Ehh, you might not want to disturb us now," Kakashi eye-smiled as he flicked his hand into a two fingered wave before leaving the room.

Relieved utterly, Naruto turned back to get his sleep pumped up for tomorrow's fight, but then he noticed something sparkle on the bed.

Sakura left her glasses behind.

_Forgetful as always..._

* * *

忘记


	61. Sharingan

精神错乱

* * *

Sakura walked through a thick, white fog that seemed to encompass the entire dimension. She'd been walking for minutes or days or years...how long has she been walking?

Where_ was_ she?

There were signposts sticking out from the roads she was taking, she couldn't see beyond the fog.

_Am I...inside my mindscape?_

_Why is it not pure black? Why is it so white and foggy? Why is it so...large? Why am I walking along these stone roads? Where am I going? ...Where is my Inner Sakura?_

...

Naruto's mindscape held Kurama in it and Sakura's held Inner, but now hers was a different...foreign territory.

She was utterly lost.

Sakura stopped in front of a signpost that pointed in two directions. One arrow had the word "HOME" and the other said "ELSEWHERE"

Sakura felt a surge of happiness. Of course she'd go home! She turned towards that direction and walked.

Sakura always had a good sense of direction, just keep heading straight.

...

The fog grew thinner.

...

Sakura rubbed her goggles, suddenly grateful they were there to shield her eyes. As her vision cleared she noticed Naruto waving in her face.

"Oi Sakura-chan! You don't wanna be late again doya?!"

Sakura stood, stupefied. "Naruto?" Suddenly she grinned and reached to hug him but hug only emptiness. She blinked and stared back at Naruto who was standing out of her reach.

"What's wrong, don't you wanna go home, Sakura-chan?" Naruto tilted his head.

"Err. Right," Sakura blurted out.

Naruto started walking in front of her, leading her way.

Following him and staring at his back, Sakura was still confused. That was w_eird._ How come whenever she hugs Naruto, Naruto appears out of her reach? _Did he_...Sakura shook her head.

The roads stopped crisscrossing.

Naruto was still with her, so Sakura was surely on the right path, because she trusted Naruto's sense of direction more than her own, even though it was the opposite in the real world.

And then in front of the road, Uchiha Sasuke was sitting with his feet crossed, a bored look on his face, as if he were waiting for them for as long as they had been walking, which was long enough.

"Finally, meiwaku," the Uchiha sighed exasperated as he climbed to his feet, approaching her. "I hate to be kept waiting."

"Sasu!" Sakura grinned and grabbed for his hand only to see he was standing at a different angle. W_eird_. She never managed to touch Naruto or Sasuke while in here; were they mirages conjured up from her mind or were they simply avoiding body contact with her?

"Hn," Sasuke smirked smugly and lead the way.

"Oi!" Naruto protested as he charged in front of his rival. They started squabbling like little kids about who takes the lead while Sakura walked slowly behind them, watching their antics with a tinge of nostalgia. This was supposed to be the point where she punched them both to stop them from fighting (only to end up participating in the fight)—

It felt like the most important thing she was supposed to do now— she surged forward her fists going for both their heads only when she blinked, they turned out to be ten steps in front of her.

Frustrated, Sakura dropped her hands and kept following them like a lost puppy. She hated not being in control.

Soon enough, a large gate emerged, a door that looked identical to the large one Orochimaru summoned to block her path. It was towering above her hundreds of feet high.

Just..leap through that gate and she'd be free...

"How do I open that?" She turned towards her teammates but they were already gone. They've gone beyond that door. Sakura wanted to follow after them but this damn Orochimaru Demon Gate was in her way...just like it was back then.

Sakura took in a deep breath and sent her fist rearing for the giant gate. _**SHANNAROO!**_

"My, my, don't destroy my precious gate summon," a slivery silky voice entered her ears as the gate cracked slightly open by itself, again missing her punch. "This wall is built for your sake, my dear."

Orochimaru was suddenly standing behind her.

She looked up into the fogged white sky before turning her back to face the Snake Sannin. He was wearing a white kimono with red kanji sketched across its rims, the lettering of the kanji in snake shapes.

_You..._

_You must be the one who transformed my ordinarily vain mindscape into this wasteland._

"Change it back!" Sakura demanded stomping her foot. "I hate this place!"

Orochimaru glowered over her, his golden eyes narrowed into snake-like snakes, his tongue sliding upon his lips, eyeing her like prey.

Sakura felt like a mouse and she also noticed she was 7 years old again.

"The exit is just beyond this gate, honey," Orochimaru lured.

"So if I leave through here, this place will turn back to normal?"

"Yesss." He answered simply.

Sakura stepped towards the gate—

"But do you realllly want to go?"

She heard Orochimaru's smirk.

"Why wouldn't I?!" Sakura snapped angrily, pushing open the gates easily. She was _sure_ of it. Definitely!

The gates opened wide, beyond it were clear blue skies and grass. Konoha was just ahead.

"You're late!" Naruto shouted in her face, apparently he had been standing beside the gate this whole time. "C'mon dattebayo!" He charged ahead.

Unable to hold back a smile, Sakura laughed and ran after him.

* * *

Then it was night and she suddenly found herself chasing Naruto all over the village, through the secret alleys they used, atop the roofs they skirted, into the unoccupied homes and past the clan compounds.

She was chasing him because she was afraid to lose him, but then she saw Naruto in her arms bleeding and dead.

"You killed him—" That was Sasuke's voice from behind her.

"What—no!" Sakura exclaimed, turning around to see a vengeful Sasuke. He was lookingat her as if she were Itachi.

"You killed Naruto, Sakura." Sasuke stepped towards her and she backed up, looking down at Naruto and putting a hand over his chest. No heartbeat.

"DON'T TOUCH HIM—!" Sasuke screamed at her and Sakura eep'd, dropping Naruto's body off her hands.

However his corpse didn't just fall to the floor. She found herself on top of a building and Naruto was falling forty floors down. She watched his dead body die a second time.

"Why did you kill me, Sakura-chan? I thought I could trust you." Naruto's voice.

Sakura spun around, half-relieved, half-scared. Naruto stood on the rooftop with her, but his eyes looked dead.

"You wanna kill me again, huh, Sakura-chan?" Naruto walked towards her.

Sakura took a step back before noticing there was nothing to step back on, behind here was empty air and a long fall down.

She was standing at the edge of the tallest building, and Naruto grabbed her wrists, moving her hands to his neck, her fingers wrapping around his windpipe.

Sakura gulped and pulled her hands back fast, of course she wasn't going to choke—

Naruto fell down dead at her feet.

That was it.

Screams.

Then she felt Sasuke using a knife and stabbing through each organ of her body. "Why did you follow us?! With that madness inside you, you sabotage our lives!"

"I'm sorry I just wanted to—"

"You didn't want to be alone, hn?!" Sasuke hovered his knife over her neck. His dark eyes glistened with complete hatred and understanding, as if he knew exactly what she was going through but was disgusted by her actions. "If I were you, I'd leave!"

He dug it in, the blood spurting out her neck as he tossed the knife aside and squeezed her in a choke-hold, tackling her over to the edge of the building.

**"The path towards hell is my own path!"**

Then he pushed her off.

* * *

Falling, Sakura felt her life leaving her body, she was dying in Sasuke's hands...she could faintly hear a familiar voice at the back of her mind, memories about Obito-kun.

_["Sakurin-chan, didn't you once say your feelings came last?!"]_

[Staying with your friends is the same thing as abandoning them...]

Sakura blinked realizing what was happening and screamed!

And blinked again.

...

Her body didn't hit the floor, she was somewhere else instead.

...

She was suddenly 7 years old and back at Orochimaru's Demonic Gate, standing beside the exit, and staring blankly at it.

Orochimaru's question vibrated across the fog and echoed back in her face.

"You know what lies beyond if you go...do you realllly want to go?"

Sakura felt chills up her back from the man's voice alone.

She took a step backwards from the exit.

She heard Orochimaru's smirk.

She clenched her fists, her palms bleeding upon her nails.

She opened her eyes and looked to the right, where the exit was. Then she looked to the left and this time it wasn't Orochimaru who had been standing behind her, tempting her to go back.

It was Obito. 12-year old Obito wearing the same orange goggles and standing much taller than she was, 12 years old and two feet taller than her 7 year old body.

A sheepish grin on his face and a hand behind his head, Obito opened his gentle eyes and crouched down with a smile. Extending the hand out from behind his back, he held a deep red apple in her face, waiting her to take it.

But to get it, she would have to leave the gate, and she had a feeling there would be no turning back.

Then she remembered Obito's words about comrades and bit her lip and swallowed. She breathed in, trying to hold back her tears because this was a decision she was 100% willing to make.

Obito frowned.

Noticing that, Sakura didn't want to worry him so she wiped off her tears with her sleeve and moved her forefingers to the tips of her lips and pushed them upwards.

Obito smiled and waited.

Sakura took one last look at the other side, before stepping out from the middle of the Gate towards Obito. She reached her hands out and took the apple and the red fruit turned into snakes and she jumped back.

[It's an apple,] Obito's eyes insisted, [just like this world is paradise. C'mon! Let's make our own world where no one dies and nothing makes sense. Anything to protect your comrades. So come, Sakura!]

He held his hand out.

Sakura stumbled forward, and grabbed it, her tiny fingers intertwining fittingly into his chubby ones.

Obito pulled her along as they walked back the way she came from. Into the fog, and deeper than that.

*[ The Gate vanished into thin air. ]*

If, inadvertently, Sakura ever returned to the same spot here, there would be no Gate to exit.

Then again, it was a long way back in a senseless plane. It wasn't like she had a map on how to get back here.

There was no Naruto or Sasuke to lead her back...even if there were, she would never follow them.

* * *

精神错乱

* * *

Her eyes snapped open and she shrieked, before noticing that she was inside a public restroom that looked like the ones in the Academy and remembering she was inside the Chuunin Exams building—but there was something different.

Even though it wasn't visible, she could feel that fog from her nightmare clinging around her, a fog she resolved to stay inside.

She put her hands in her pink hair and squeezed, her onyx dark eyes wide and terrified, her body shivering.

She could still recall dream-Sasuke's words. ["The path towards Hell is your own."]

_I can't be with them anymore…_

_I…have to leave Konoha._

Sakura swallowed, not prepared to accept that. Where would she run off to? _Orochimaru? Heck no!_ Then where else would she hide?

Should she just commit suicide? _Not a chance!_ _Too scared to!_

Either way, if she hid somewhere, she would still die within a year because of the curse mark's parasitic side effects…

_But maybe Orochimaru had an antidote?_

…Considering that, Sakura's face went white as she had a panic attack. She didn't know how to deal with this!

Stumbling to her feet, Sakura stared into the mirror and saw the mirror image of Obito looking back at herself.

This wasn't her! Since when had she become so unselfish? To the point of helping old people and now ditching her old life behind for the sake of her comrades?! That wasn't like her! She really didn't want to do it!

But the image of Obito staring back at her with disappointed, influential eyes was a constant reminder—

"Ugh you stupid Obito!" Sakura punched the irritating mirror and it shattered into a million pieces. Suddenly she had a flashback of a pineapple shattering.

The sharp glass shards flew at her and before they hit, a flash of lightning surrounded her for a second and the mirror pieces were gone—vaporized into soot.

Shocked, Sakura turned her head to the left.

Kakashi stood there, resting against the toilet stall door with a burnt, smoking book in his hand.

Connecting the dots, Sakura could have realized he must have used the hand holding the autographed Icha Icha 1st edition to conduct chidori to get rid of the glass before they hit her, just in time, and to her dismay. She needed that pain.

"Well then," Kakashi drawled, tossing his burnt book off his fingers like dust. Whatever he was about to say next was interrupted.

Sakura charged into him, her hands wrapped tightly around his waist as she started crying into his stomach and black clothing beneath his unzipped jounin vest.

Awkwardly and slowly, Kakashi patted her back gently and stroked her hair slightly.

She only buried her face deeper, trembling. Kakashi sighed and wrapped both his hands down her back and held her against him, letting her cry out her frustrations.

Sakura sniffled gratefully and sobbed. They stood like that for a while, Kakashi reminiscing as he stroked her, conjuring up theories about what was wrong with Sakura.

It was until a minute later that Sakura had gone completely quiet, her breathing slow and even. She pushed him back and pulled up her goggles, rubbing her eyes with her sleeve. "That was..." She said her first words after so long. "Sand."

"That was not the sand when you're wearing goggles," Kakashi softly retorted. He crouched down and took her wrist, moving her hand down. When he took out his black handkerchief to wipe it at her tear streaks, he noticed the absolutely black eyes behind the orange goggles and the words echoed in his mind and his automatic response repeated in his head and- there was only one Uchiha it was supposed to be Sasuke why did Sakura resemble HIM in every way why how was it possible was it black or red the green was the only thing keeping him restrained _impossible_ he dropped the towel his hands trembling that dark blue orange attire everything was no longer logical it was the real thing he had stared at the memorial stone EVERY FUCKING HOUR OF THE DAY WHEN OBITO WAS RIGHT BEFORE HIM, HOW COULD HE HAVE DOUBTED IT SO WHAT IS HE SUPPOSED TO SAY HOW IS HE SUPPOSED TO REACT WITH his blood running cold his heart and lungs freezing his brain acupunctured every damn thing in his life was because of HER

...

..

Kakashi did the only reasonable thing he could when he realizes that hallucination of his most precious, dead person turns out to be the real thing.

He fainted.

* * *

Some time later.

* * *

"BAKAKASHI!" An incredibly angry voice and a punch woke him up.

Kakashi grabbed her and felt his head felt messed up...Did Sakura drug him? Or..was he still shaken by the impossible situation?

"Kakashi..." Sakura addressed without the suffix; she'd called him simply Kakashi several times in the past so he wasn't alarmed. "I have...one final request...please?"

He looked at her with glazed over eyes. He was still feeling out of touch with reality and was not going to react logically at all, nor show extremity in emotions, for he was still NUMB.

_Kakashi, promise me you'll protect Rin. _

Without thinking, he grabbed her shoulders and looked her straight in her eyes, regret overtaking him. "Anything," the man breathed. "Anything you want."

His eyes grew alert as Sakura stared across at himself with sore, puffy red eyes. "Let me...leave..._leave Konoha_...for a while...to take a break from the team..."

...you want to leave..again...Obito?

"Why?"

Sakura broke eye contact to look down at the floor sadly, before returning her gaze towards him. "I don't trust myself…anymore."

She pushed aside her salmon strands of hair, revealing the curse mark, a three tomoe tattoo at the base of her neck.

"And?" Kakashi prompted satirically, inwardly conflicted.

Sakura didn't look amused but rather frowned.

"You and Naruto had the same reaction," Kakashi chuckled sadly. "But I can seal that, you know?"

Sakura shook her head in denial. "This isn't something you can just seal! It's so powerful that even I can't dent it! It's ensnared me inside a world of madness! **How can I be with them when I can't even protect them from myself?!**"

"Are you doubting my ability?" Kakashi lightly chided. "Tsk, Orochimaru may've been the Sandaime's student, but I was the Yondaime Hokage's. I assure you, my seal will keep the curse mark's insanity contained. Everything's taken care of."

"How will you know for sure?" Sakura countered suspiciously. "What if your seal breaks?" _What if my vision comes true?_

Kakashi sighed deeply, a hand moving to his silvery white hair, contemplating everything "After the preliminaries, I'll take you out of Konoha, far, far away from civilization and any other human, for about a month. You won't be able to lay a hand on any other human being except me. Sound fair?"

"Except you?" Sakura's lips twitched, "what about Sasuke and Naruto, and what if I hurt y-"

"You've got to be kidding me, Sakura, you think you are even remotely on par with me?" Kakashi flicked her large forehead earning an indignant squawk.

He settled down with a paintbrush, drawing fuuinjutsu symbols all over the floor. "This is your only offer to step outside Konoha for an extended period of time without your team."

"Oi Bakakashi!" Sakura rubbed at her bruised forehead, pouting.

Kakashi froze and stared at her for a long moment, now knowing for certain who her soul_ really_ was. But why her?

"Uhmmm," She sounded, uncomfortable at Kakashi staring at her like a ghost, but she understood why. For the same reason she cherished Kakashi so much due to his bond with Obito, Kakashi did the same due to her...resemblance? legacy? Maybe that was why Kakashi was giving her this chance. "'kay, I accept. Th-thanks."

Sakura looked relieved as if a burden had just been lifted off her shoulders.

"Heh, good." He ruffled her hair but his heart was still frozen. "Now sit down in the center of this circle where the black markings surround."

She did. "Kakashi-sensei, why is your hand so cold?"

"Strip all your clothes off," he retorted absently changing the subject.

"EEEH?!" Sakura's face went beet red.

"You...can keep your underwear on," Kakashi placed his hand under his chin, carefully keeping his thoughts off destroyed Icha Icha. It was just fun teasing her like with his old teammate. "But inevitably, I'll have to body paint you-"

The next thing he knew, mostly because he was too surprised to react, Kakashi was punched in the masked part of his face; now, the bottom half of his face was in for some bruising but he was masked, so it hardly mattered. What did matter was the stars in his vision, she had hit his head a little too hard. Was this how Naruto and Sasuke always felt?

He blinked and noticed Sakura down to nothing but her underwear- and _bra!_

"Ahem-"

"I am not showing you my boobs-"

"Not like you have any to begin w-"

"HEY!" Sakura punched Kakashi again in the groin.

"Ompfff!" He was brought down onto his knees, his eyes wide with pain. It snapped him out of his trance and he looked at her with an incredibly pissed off expression. "Is that any way to treat your doctor?"

Sakura burst out laughing, finally he wasn't looking so lost anymore, just like she did ten minutes eariler! Suddenly it seemed like a carefree world. Next thing she knew, Kakashi's hands were on her neck. Her laughing was cut short, suddenly reminded of when she choked the air out of Naruto.

"Alright...now hold still...this is very important, don't fool around." Kakashi warned, and Sakura was already frozen to begin with. He mistook that as her following instructions when it was her being reminded of her priorities.

He formed forty hand seals. Hare → Snake → Horse → Ram → Bird → Tiger → Hare → Snake → Horse → Ram → Bird → Tiger

Sakura inhaled, closing her eyes. Her chakra was down to 30% because 70% of it was being used to hold on the curse seal, fruitlessly because it was consuming that very chakra anyway. When it came to 0% she would lose her mind...and life. She just hoped whatever Kakashi was gonna do would work.

→ Hare → Snake → Horse → Ram → Bird → Dog → Rat →

"Fūja Hōin!" Kakashi slapped his palms onto the base of Sakura's neck.

Caught off guard. It was like someone pouring molten lava onto her skin, flaming gasoline...on her entire body...all over her bare back and her legs and chest and stomach.

One of the most painful experiences ever. But something kept her from screaming.

_Fear._

Ironic that she was too scared to scream. The fear that screaming would mess something up.

She held her screams and voice back, bit her tongue and endured the pain, feeling tingles of satisfaction when she felt the painful confirmation that the _evilness_ which had spread out so far, to the point of entering her heart and brain, was currently being absorbed back by Kakashi's seal towards the spot it came from: her neck. And being trapped inside it.

When the cursed seal was completely sealed, when she couldn't feel a single trace of it left beyond a dimension in her neck, Sakura let out a cry of relief and collapsed onto all fours.

"That huuuurts!"

She instantly disabled all her pain nerves next and it worked! There was no curse mark interfering with the chakra she used. She looked up at Kakashi with bright, beaming eyes.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank—"

"Maah, that's enough now," Kakashi pacified, surprised that she still had enough energy to thank him so many times when she shouldn't even have the strength to stand. "What I am impressed is by the fact that you didn't scream. It's supposed to be a painful process."

What happened next shocked him.

Sakura punched the ground and it erupted into an mini-earthquake of marbles within a 2 feet radius. "YEEEESSS!"

Kakashi sweatdropped but couldn't hold back the smile on his face. "Was that how you punched Orochimaru?"

"Cha! Course I did!" She jumped and flailed and danced and twirled. She even tackle hugged him twice. "You know what you're not so bad after all," Sakura complimented with a smirk.

Kakashi coughed; was that the best compliment she could give?

Then he snapped out of it. With Sakura mentally stable there was no reason to baby her about the reality of the situation.

"About my technique, it's not full immunity. I've already done the best to my capacity...the rest, depends on your willpower, so don't become too reliant. If you allow it to take over you, it will."

Sakura looked solemn, touching her neck, before dropping her hand after feeling it perfectly in place. "In that case, I have nothing to worry about. My desire to protect my f-" Sakura blushed pink and grinned. "It's love!"

"...you value comrades over all else...of course you would," Kakashi said, reminded of Obito's words. _Those eyes, though._ He'd set aside the niggling confusion far too long. "Did you gain the Sharingan from attempting to save Naruto or Sasuke's life?"

"Ye-Yeaah..." Sakura rubbed the back of her head..._Sorta._ "I kinda did."

"Kinda?"

Sakura shut her mouth. She opened it before closing it again and sighing, then she took in a deep breath. "Sensei, you're gonna have to trust me on this."

"I'll trust you, Sakura." _No matter how ridiculous it may seem._

"Soooo," Sakura hesitated. "Umm, I am 99.9% certain that I am 1% Uchiha!"

Kakashi gaped.

"Are you serious?"

"Well, yeah, how else do you think I got these eyes?" Sakura asked rhetorically.

"But—" Kakashi stopped upon seeing the desperation in her eyes. She looked so much like back when Obito was pleading Kakashi to help him rescue Rin.

Kakashi dropped the subject. Her explanation wasn't out of the question. If anything, it further confirmed she was Obito reborn...yet...Kakashi truly thought of it as a soul/spirit thing not involving chakra or genetics or kekkei genkai.

However...he needed to confirm something before he would take her side.

He pulled up his headband, revealing his single Sharingan.

Sakura flinched.

[Is that the only way? ]

_Sharingan cannot lie._

Sakura curled her fingers together and hit her lip. She looked back into Kakashi's single eye...it felt like she was facing Obito himself.

[Yes. This is the_ only_ way. Truth or not, for the sake of my teammates, you'd better believe me, or you'll relive the hell of loneliness for a second time.]

"Ah, I see..." Kakashi said, enervated. _Did Obito's eyes really say that?_ Or was it his imagination as he was lost in thought?

It _felt_ like she was urging him to break the rules to save a comrade, pressuring him to do what his suicidal father did...a second chance to do what he failed to do the first time...a second Uchiha Obito...

"That will be the justification I provide the Council should they ever bring it up."

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura smiled cheekily.

Unable to help himself he ruffled up Sakura's hair into a mess again.

(-.-)

"WOO! Now that we're done here, I wanna see Naruto and Sasuke's awesome preliminary battles!" Sakura cheered, her hands flailing up in excitement. Suddenly she noticed the fatigue she'd been forcibly suppressing via unhealthy medical ninjutsu the entire time had caught up to her. Her chakra might as well be at absolute zero.

Her eyes drooped and she slowly lost conscious, her body tipping over to the side and falling.

Kakashi caught her before she hit the floor. Holding her bride-style he could faintly remember doing the same to her long ago in the past when she was...seven? He was in ANBU at that time. Her body had grown.

Kakashi lowered his head. "Damn it...what are you trying to do...Uchiha Obito...?"

The floor around his feet was wet with a clear puddle of liquid although his body seemed dry as haystacks like his hair.

_Everything was fine_, he thought.

He was going to give her the benefit of the doubt, he thought.

He was making the right decision he thought, but he did not know their story, two generations in the making, is about to end.

_Getting me to break the rules again, Obito?_

_...this time, I won't repeat the same mistake._

_I won't hesitate to break the rules to save you._

And that meant covering up for Sakura from any doubt this _controversy_ would arise. The pinkette seemed to be able to activate and deactivate her Sharingan at will, like a true Uchiha. A human who transplants a Sharingan into themselves has no means of turning it off, Kakashi knew because Obito's Sharingan was always activated with a constant chakra drain even while he slept. Even though others would assume there be some wrongdoing behind the scenes, there was no plausible explanation aside from genetics; the Haruno was a minor civilian family with neither connections nor wealth. Average.

And thus, his reasoning would bypass the Yamanaka's best lie detector.  
A genjutsu unto himself.

All it look was one quick glance into one of those broken glass shards on the floor that he lowered his gaze into, reflecting_ that person's_ eye.

_Obito's reincarnation._

He would go that far for _her_.

* * *

精神错乱

* * *

**Author Note:WARNING: No more Sakura for a few chapters. She's sleeping.**


	62. Team 10

吓人

* * *

Sasuke and Naruto, along with the other teams, were at the arena, without Sakura and Kakashi.

While the Hokage was talking about some boring politics, Naruto looked into Sasuke's onyx eyes and passed him Sakura's glasses.

_What do you want me to do with these shitty prankster __glasses?_ Sasuke mouthed. _Pull another prank on the Hokage?_

Naruto facepalmed (for once!) and whispered loudly back, _I want you to record the matches so that Sakura-chan can see them when she gets back! You're smart so you should know how those weird buttons work, you dumbass teme! _

Everyone stared at Naruto.

Apparently, he had whispered too loudly.

"Eheheh," Naruto blushed and everyone moved onto the railings.

As they stood beside each other at a secluded corner far from the others- at the other end from them, Sasuke poked Naruto on the back of his head.

"What?" Naruto asked, annoyed.

Sasuke smirked, amused. "How thoughtful of you, for a dobe."

"Tch, teme," Naruto looked aside but turned back to him and watched him work the glasses. "Uh...Sasu-teme..."

"What?"

"...that thing that happened to Sakura-chan...was meant for you...right?"

"...Yeah, I guess so..." Sasuke looked aside, his dark eyes jaded. _She has the Sharingan while I...the supposed last Uchiha...those Konoha fools expected me to become the legacy of my clan, I thought the same...I was meant to be the target...but I haven't unlocked the Sharingan, and yet, Sakura... ...Why? _

Naruto interrupted his thoughts. "I...think it was a type of seal."

"Hn?" Sasuke grit his teeth.

"Just a feeling."

"What are you going to do about it, dobe?" Sasuke growled lightly.

Naruto interrupted his thoughts again. "Oi, Kurama, you know anything about seals?"

**YOU BET, KIT. WHILE I DON'T KNOW THE SPECIFICS ABOUT THAT GIRL'S, I KNOW A FEW TRICKS FROM THE ERA OF MITO UZUMAKI...THAT DAMNED VESSEL. YOU'D BETTER NOT REPEAT WHAT SHE AND YOUR MOTHER DID.  
**

_My mother?_ Naruto gasped slightly.

**YOUR MOTHER WAS KUSHINA UZUMAKI. WO,MAN KEPT BOASTING ABOUT LOVE AND MORE GARBAGE, KEPT CRYING LIKE A BABY ABOUT YOU NOT GETTING A 'NORMAL' LIFE WITH THEM WHILE I WAS BEING TRAPPED INSIDE YOU BY THE YELLOW FLASH. THERE'S NOTHING I LOATHE MORE THAN YOUR DISGUSTING PARENTS.  
**

_Wait WHAT?! _Naruto's mouth went wide open.

Sasuke stared at Naruto, confused. "Dobe, what's going on?"

**YOUR PARENTS WERE CRYBABY HYPOCRITES.  
**

Naruto had tears of joy in his eyes.

**?**

"My mom and dad loved me..." Naruto wiped at his tears. "You said they were crying when you were getting sealed inside me, right?"

A look of understanding dawned on Sasuke's face as he stayed quiet, letting Naruto and Kurama talk it out.

**THEY CLAIM THEY DID NOT WANT ME INSIDE OF YOU BUT THEY'RE LIARS. THEY KEPT ME HOSTAGE FOR POWER. BUT YOU WILL FREE ME AS SOON AS WORLD PEACE IS ESTABLISHED GUARANTEEING MY FREEDOM, AND I WILL ACCELERATE THAT PROCESS BY GIVING YOU FREE POWER BOOSTS. THAT WAS PART OF YOUR BARGAIN.  
**

"Yeah, yeah I know," Naruto smiled sadly.

**BUT MY POWER BOOSTS WEREN'T ENOUGH, YOU COULD NOT DEFEAT THAT SNAKE HUMAN. THAT IS WHY...STOP RELYING ON ME...AND GAIN YOUR OWN STRENGTH.**

Naruto nodded. "I'm gonna be pro at fuuinjutsu! The best there is! Just like the Fourth Hokage, but stronger! Then I can save my friends!" Naruto curled his fingers into a thumbs up gesture he saw Sakura do earlier before this whole mess occurred. "And I'll have Kurama's help."

Naruto nodded once more with confidence. "I think...I should take on the legacy of the Uzumaki..." Naruto looked into Sasuke's eyes seriously and the Uchiha boy froze.

_Those are the exact same words I'd just..._

Sasuke had failed at his Uchiha legacy and Naruto was just beginning to..._Tch._

"Hn." Sasuke felt his deeply embedded rivalry rekindling. "Not before I rebuild my clan's legacy."

Naruto glanced at him out of the corner of his cerulean eye.

And then...

He smiled.

"Bring it on, teme."

He always had a way of getting people to quit giving up.

* * *

吓人

* * *

It was time for the first match.

* * *

吓人

* * *

Gaara had a wide smile on his face when his name showed up on the screen.

**| Nara Shikamaru VS Sabaku no Gaara ||  
**

He vanished and appeared in the center of the arena; while at the railings, Shikamaru stood frozen with his jaw hanging open.

"What are you doin—" Ino started before seeing the wide eyed fear in Shikamaru's usually indifferent and lazy face. She turned to look downwards at Gaara, who was smiling serenely. He seemed like a sane guy. Nothing was _wrong_ or scary about him.

"What a drag..." Shikamaru faked a yawn as he walked down to the arena_. I'm going to have to use all I have from the start if I want a chance of winning...and to think I've come this far already...this has been a waste of time...  
_

"Hi." Gaara greeted, still smiling, his eyes lustful and hungry. His sand began to fly out of his gourd, emitting a crazy killing intent that had an aura of playfulness around it.

* * *

Haku turned towards Zabuza. "Zabuza-senpai, is that supposed to happen?"

Zabuza side looked his former apprentice, before rolling his eyes. "The torture methods I used were meant to turn malicious intent into altruism. The evil into the good. The only time I see it not working is if this raccoon kid was good-hearted to begin with."

Haku turned back to look at Gaara's deteriorating condition, his mouth parting to voice disagreement,

"'Evil' can be subjective. I murdered many innocent humans with a 'good heart...'" _Because of you, _left unsaid.

Zabuza paused suddenly, gaining enlightenment upon hearing Haku's simple words. So this was why he kept failing Anko's torture lessons. He always saw murderers, criminals, and spies as evil bastards like himself. He never considered the fact that a criminal could be committing murder to save another life or serve a person without enjoying the act, because he himself had always enjoyed being evil. He was a sadist, but he didn't think that, not all criminals were sadists...even though he had an example by his side for the past decade: _Haku._ Zabuza had only thought about himself.

Zabuza blinked hard, and turned his foggy gray eyes back towards Gaara's sick, pale, greens. Meanwhile, Hayate declared the beginning of the Preliminaries.

Zabuza might have just made a perfectly sane guy insane, his good intentions gone wrong.

"Fuck."

* * *

吓人

* * *

Shikamaru exhaled as his two hands folded together into a Ram sign. His shadow stretched across the floor, trailing towards Gaara.

Looong before it touched him, Gaara vanished and reappeared in front of Shikamaru faster than the eye could see—with the speed of a jounin.

Then, Gaara's sand sharpened into multiple deadly spikes, ten of them at the speed of sound, stabbing through Shikamaru, gaining a bone crunching sound and a surplus of blood. The sand sent the Nara flying ten feet backwards with his massive amount of blood flying out behind him. Not even completed, the outer layer of Gaara's skin (which was made of sand) came flying off and flying towards him in the air. With all his vitals damaged, and the drain from venture through the forest of death and the fact that he didn't build up his reserves enough to begin with, Shikamaru's shadow possession jutsu ran out of power, causing the sand to fall downwards. Then he landed on the floor, gasping out a load of blood. He couldn't move. His bones were broken. He absently struggled to stay awake, but he might as well already be unaware of anything that was happening as his eyes...drooped...the exhilarating pain was numbing...Also, he was too lazy to scream.

Unbeknownst to everyone, when Gaara appeared in front of Shikamaru, the Nara's shadow was already blinded to Gaara's body. However, it couldn't penetrate the chakra of his Ultimate Defense nor the sand that floated midair. So Gaara was able to move freely, and Shikamaru's shadow wasn't strong enough to hold him back even though he used all his strength.

It all finished within a second.

But not only that, Gaara's sand came flying out towards Shikamaru's damaged body to crush it completely, as if simple holes weren't good enough..

"AaaAAGHHHH-!**!**!**!**!**!** STOP THE MATCH!" Ino screamed, slamming her hands into the railing, bruising them but she didn't feel it. Her screech echoed across the room louder than all her Sasuke-fangirl cries combined, and the proctor suddenly froze up, because, as the sand wrapped around Shikamaru—time seemed to freeze...

...

_**Saaand**_

...

Everyone watched, wide eyed. Chouji had dropped all his chips to the ground, shaking with fear.

...

_**Cofffinnn**_

_**...**_

_Crush_.

...

In slow motion, Asuma's cigarette dropped to the floor.

...

Ino's blue eyes flashed towards her right where Chouji had been standing. In his place was Shikamaru's unconscious form.

...

"ShiKAMARUUU!" Ino cried, diving for her lethally injured teammate. She grabbed his body and gasped at the warm blood leaking into her hands- it seemed like he had gallons of them. Trembling, she checked for his pulse. It was still beating, _he_ was still breathing. Ino exhaled in relief that _he'll live_ before reality hit her.

Ino froze, her hands flying to her face. "No— it can't be!" Her head jerked towards the arena where the sand coffin was squeezing; massive amounts of blood were leaking out through the sand which should have been containing Shikamaru...

And then Ino looked back to her side where Shikamaru was _instead of Chouji. _

And then her gaze switched back again to the sand..._Chouji..._

_Substitution jutsu..._

"Fatass!" Ino sobbed, filled with angry tears as she leapt over the railing, landing onto the arena floor with a clinking thud. She weakly made her way to Chouji. "You...replaced yourself so that you could die instead of Lazy!? Stupid! Stupid!"

She attacked the sand. Punched, clawed at it with her manicured nails, kicked, bruised herself and ignored the bruises and cuts sustained from the sand as everyone watched silently.

From inches behind her, Gaara stood confused, watching her desperate tantrum.

"**Why...?**"

"WHY WHAT— LET HIM GO!" Ino growled, a menacing undertone that threatened to kill him. Evil pale eyes of the same shade, but different hue, appearing deadlier than the time Sakura betrayed her...she almost resembled the Kyuubi.

Gaara swallowed, he seemed to remember something in his head, but all of a sudden the memory was gone. He couldn't remember what he was thinking or what he believed, like his brain had been tampered with.

He was reluctant to believe what he was seeing, but he felt the need to be certain. So, he released his hold on the sand, and sure enough, a plump orange-haired boy dressed in green, blemished with the kanji 食, was crushed in place of the skinny ratty pineapple-head one.

Ino gasped and fell to her knees, in shock as the medics showed up to apply first aid.

"**Why...save him?**" His eyes towards Chouji, asking him even though his body was half crushed. "**To the point of...sacrificing yourself?**"

He saw her fist flying towards his face and, for some phenomenal reason, his sand made no move to stop her.

He felt his neck crack when his head recoiled backwards from the blow on his cheek, and then a stinging pain in his face where a bruise was beginning to form.

"You didn't know?!" Ino had a bitter sneer on her face. "If you figured out the answer...if ...if only you knew the answer, you would have been HUMAN!" _In other words, you're NOT human!_ She had meant to say, but worded it awkwardly. "You MONSTER!" Ino amended.

Gaara was stupefied. This blondie didn't tell him the answer he asked for...but...

She told him how to become a human...

It had started off as mild curiosity for the answer, how to become human like the others. But that feeling had transformed into a full blown desire for the answer as soon as he saw everything that just happened before his eyes and heard the words Blondie uttered.

Gaara withdrew his sand, sending every speck of dust back into his gourd. Breathing the air, feeling a new sense of smell, he gave a smothered, half-suppressed laugh as he turned his back away from the humans.

Hesitating once, he began to walk away.

Slowly, step by step, he left the humans behind his back. Injured Chouji was being lifted onto a stretched and moved into an ambulance, while Ino shouted random screeching orders for the medics to grab Shikamaru as well.

She didn't spare Gaara another glance because their exchange and those words weren't a big matter to her in comparison to the lives of her boys.

But to Gaara, it shattered his entire outlook. Everyone had called him a monster until he forced them to stop, but no one told him how to become human...until Blondie.

Having gotten a little closer to his answer, he had no regrets about fatally wounding 'Chouji Akimich**i.'**

**_Blondie..._**

Gaara smirked as he exited the tower without staying behind for the rest of the battles.

First pinkie, and now blondie...

His siblings didn't follow him. They still had their fights to finish.

And then Gaara's smirk twisted into a wide grin as he walked through the Forest of Death, leaving.

Finally, he'd won that always, elusive, something,

and there was nothing left to stay behind for...

...

...

_...Yamanaka...Ino..._

* * *

吓人

* * *

**Author Note**: Congratulations for making it this far! You've read 100000 words! -Gives you cookies-


	63. Boring Battles

**|| Yamanaka Ino VS Kin ||**

* * *

Bystanders had complained about the injustice and bad luck of having Ino fight next, but those were short lived as the fight was extremely short.

Kin had taunted Ino about her hair being the reason both her teammates being down. Ino faked a tantrum, sliced it off and tossed it at the Sound nin, keeping her pinned down just like Shikamaru's shadow binding technique would. Then she performed the Mind Transfer on her and forced her to forfeit.

Immediately after "winning" the battle, Ino ran the hell out of there towards the hospital, before getting stopped by Asuma.

He lifted her up, and both vanished in a body flicker, which was hoards faster.

* * *

**|| Momochi Zabuza vs Akimichi Choji ||**

* * *

"Well, that's-" Hayate's suddenly erupted into a fit of coughs.

Meanwhile, Zabuza let out a menacing growl. "It looks like that fat little runt got reckless and now I can't sate my bloodlust, shit."

"It wouldn't have happened if we hadn't screwed with Gaara-san's mind," Haku pointed out softly, "it's almost entirely our fault."

"Pitiful! That lil chubby runt had potential. He managed a replacement technique within less than a second to take the place of his friend. He would've made an entertaining fight."

"I guess you would have to save all your bloodlust for the finals."

"Heh yeahhh, all my bloodlust onto my pitiful victim, doubled. Once I make it Chuunin I can make a shitload of hard bloody cash, teheheheheh-" Zabuza's evil laugh matched the time he first faced Team 7.

Haku sweatdropped.

Hayate finished coughing- "well- it's a pity, but this match is self explanatory and the loser has my condolences. Next up-"

* * *

**|| Haku vs Temari ||**

* * *

Temari blinked, hard. She was still dazed from what went on with Gaara. Nonetheless, she jumped into the arena with her giant fan.

Then she gasped. Her opponent was that...THAT person!

"Holy craaap~" Temari mused sardonically.

"You may begin," Hayate signaled before leaping off the arena.

Instantly Haku made ice mirrors encompassing the entire arena while keeping the observers out, and the two of them inside. He sunk into a mirror and even created a Hidden Mist Jutsu.

Then, Haku started throwing thousands of metal senbon needles at Temari, and a fog covered the entire inside of the ice mirrors so that she could not see where they were coming from.

"Hmph." Temari smirked as each and every needle fell to the floor instead of stabbing her skin. She had layered her skin with wind jutsu, which blew everything off.

"Now it's my turn," she said as she whipped out her fan, opening it to the full 3 purple dots. She twirled her feet and swung around, the fan blowing up a gust of wind that completely blew away the fog, clearing her vision.

She kept spinning and the ice mirrors started rumbling- all the needles were blown to the side.

"And now..." _I didn't want to use it but I should really break those mirrors,_ Temari thought. She pulled out a summoning scroll to get her sickle raccoon out but-

Suddenly Haku freaked out and closed in all his mirrors onto her ASAP, squashing Temari on all sides.

"Ow!"

The end.

"The most important thing is speed," Haku said after retracting his ice, when everyone watched Temari fall unconscious, bloody and bruised- her head got hit by the ice wall too.

Hayate faked a cough to cover up his squeal of shock, surprised by the unexpected outcome. "Ahem. Temari is out. I declare Haku as the winner."

A few claps were heard, and when Haku returned back to Zabuza, the ex-criminal grunted, "You have more rounds of applause than I did."

Haku merely smiled.

* * *

风影

* * *

Kankuro gaped at the scene.

"Shit! Sister lost! What's Gaara gonna do to her?!" Kankuro gulped. "I better not lose or I'm toast!" Kankuro's eyes swiped across the people who didn't fight yet. "Who am I fighting, who am I fighting?! Temari got a strong opponent and lost- and some of these are ex nuke-nins! Damn I'd better get the weakest genin of the bunch! Who's the weakest looking one...!"

Kankuro's eyes landed on TenTen. For some reason she looked weak despite her arrogant face.

"Please let it be her. Please let it be her."

* * *

**|| Kankuro vs TenTen ||**

* * *

"YES!" Kankuro cheered, even doing a leap in the air with a fistpump. Then he calmed down and walked smoothly to the arena.

TenTen just looked at him weird as she stopped in front of him. _Gee, I wonder why he's so excited to fight me. Did I leave a good impression on him?_

"GO TENTEN!" Rock Lee shouted.

Neji just looked aside with a smirk. "Hmph. Whether she loses or wins is fated, there's no point in rooting for her."

Gai looked at Neji with a frown, before joining in with Rock Lee in an attempt to show otherwise. "GO TENTEN, SHOW OFF YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH!"

Neji sighed at his Sensei's antics and turned his uninterested eyes towards the fight. There was nothing better to look at except his moping weak cousin of the Main Branch, whom he'd rather not look at. That princess-like girl was more pathetic than TenTen, a mere civilian.

TenTen sweatdropped. _The world around me is insane._

Hayate's bored eyes switched between Kankuro and TenTen, then he threw down his arm and hopped out of the way. "Begin!"

TenTen immediately jumped backwards as soon as the proctor did, and as she jumped high up and hovered there for a few seconds, Kankuro grit his teeth.

_Temari would be better at targeting ninjas up in the air. My puppets can't reach her._

TenTen unrolled her scrolls and threw a hundred thousand weapons and explosive tags at Kankuro.

It encompassed every inch of the battleground and incinerated Kankuro's wooden puppet and burned his real body too. Burnt to a crisp, Kankuro fell over.

TenTen landed on the ground with all her weapons used up.

"The winner is TenTen."

"YOSH TENTEN!" Lee came charging to her like a bullet and glomped his arms around her, hugging and sobbing years into her chest.

"Uhh thanks?" TenTen rolled her eyes and patted Lee back's just as Gai-sensei approached with a thumbs up.

"Who would'veee Thought," Gai's teeth sparkled. "You're the First One of Us to advance to the finals. Congratulations, TenTen."

TenTen smiled. Finally she met an opponent that was within her field of expertise and could actually show off instead of it being Lee or Neji.

"Off the arena," Hayate shooed them away and pressed his remote.

* * *

**|| Uzumaki Naruto vs Aburame Shino ||**

* * *

Sasuke slapped Naruto on his back. "Don't lose, Loser."

"Thanks, bastard," he answered and folded his hands behind his head, grinning as he landed on the arena across from Shino.

Bugs started flying towards Naruto.

"N-Naruto-kun," Hinata squeaked. Shino is taking this very seriously.

"EEEEAAAAH?!" Naruto stammered and pointed at the insects in fear, which made Shino smirk.

Shut up, you imbecile. Kurama growled and enveloped Naruto with his chakra, making him glow golden, like a mastered jinchuuriki.

The bugs which landed on Naruto's skin fell off, burnt, hitting the floor like dust.

Shino panicked as two colonies of his babies might have just died from merely touching Naruto. He was utterly confused and sent out some chakra-sensor bugs, sending them flying around Naruto.

Naruto wasn't sure if he should touch those bugs because they might die. (Does this count as his first kill?)

The bugs returned to Shino and a beat of silence passed between them.

Shino's face went pale and slightly blue as he raised his hand in trepidation.

"I-I-I f-forfeit-" Shino swallowed. He should...retrieve his bugs.

Naruto watched as Shino adopted the same expression many of the villagers who hated him did. He watched Shino force himself to go step by step closer to a Monster, a lone man forced to come close to the very Nine Tailed Beast which destroyed half of Konoha.

Looking down sadly at the bugs, Naruto stepped backwards to spare him the grief. His Academy friend no longer saw him the same way.

Hinata watched them, her sweat drops trickling down the side of her face as she gripped onto the railing tightly.

Ignoring Shino, Hayate stared at Naruto. He'd been informed long ago the boy's seal was designed to leak Kyuubi chakra into his system, but to have it begin this early and the boy to have such control over it? He was faintly reminded of Namikaze Minato's mischievous smile at the back of his mind.

Shino fell to his knees, picked up his bug and stared at them, before choking out a cry, a salty liquid leaking out from behind his black round sunglasses. "T-They're a-alive."

Hinata let out a strangled gasp, her hand flying to her mouth.

"What?" Hayate blinked before smirking. "Ah, I see."

Naruto looked confused, _Kurama?_

**I held back...using the most minuscule level of chakra control.**

_Kurama, you're amazing._ Naruto thought as a grin stretched across his face.

"The winner is Naruto," Hayate announced. "This is a demonstration of chuunin qualities. A chuunin must never sought to kill, unless absolutely necessary, especially when against a fellow comrade." He made sure his voice echoed across the entire arena so that the other candidates from outside villages would hear as well.

Shino looked up at Naruto. "Naruto..." He inclined his head and, cradling his bugs, walked carefully off the arena towards his sensei, Kurenai.

Kurenai placed a hand on Shino's shoulder and nodded her head in permission for Shino to leave.

The Aburame left for his clan clinic.

* * *

Naruto landed in front of Sasuke and grinned, "How was I?"

"Naruto, you manage to knock out the bugs without killing them, using Kurama's chakra. How is that?"

"I can control his chakra like I can using my own, but I can't control it perfectly." Naruto explained, "but whenever Kurama puts his full effort into it to work with me, my control is as good as Sakura's."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes feeling a tinge of jealousy. He thought he was the strongest from the beginning, but he truly was the weak link of the team. It was infuriating, that all his arrogance in the past had been uncalled for.

Naruto's eyes softened and he placed his hands on his rival's shoulders. "Teme, you're strong and you did stuff that saved our lives. I always wanted to be more like you." Naruto's eyes looked reminiscing for a second before he blinked quickly.

"At this rate, how will I..." Sasuke grit his teeth._ I've nearly failed to save your lives at the most crucial moment and I'll fail again. No wonder Itachi called me weak._

"If you're the Sasuke I know, you'll find what you excel in, so don't give up on yourself." Naruto smiled. "You'll find the right thing to do."

Sasuke was quiet for several minutes as he slowly thought over Naruto's words and everything he had excelled in, anything he might have an advantage for.

And then he came to terms that as the last Uchiha he had a lot of advantages, nearly unlimited resources...a widely-revered reputation...and many connections.

He could potentially bring back the Uchiha glory.

Sasuke began planning the specifics deeply.

Naruto got deep into his face with a mischievous smile. "What, what?"

"Hn." Sasuke said no more than that but pushed the dobe off by his forehead.

_It's a surprise, Naruto._

_I'll catch up to you both,_

_In my own way._

_Politics._

_Maybe...I can cover your weaknesses and make you Hokage._

_Maybe, Naruto._

* * *

政治


	64. Exciting Battles

**AN:** Anything I'm doing wrong with these fights? Let me know!

* * *

**Rock Lee VS Inuzuka Kiba**

* * *

Rock Lee had been excited to finally prove himself. When the battle began, he would only preach about hard work beating natural talent, angering Kiba. He charged and they exchanged blows for several minutes, tiring Kiba out while Lee's muscles merely burned in his quotidian warm up sensation.

Just when Lee decided to end the match, Kiba swallowed a soldier pill and barked an order at Akamaru. The puppy yiffed and transformed into a feral clone of Kiba and they moved in conjunction to create the Getsuuga attack.

They've spun with such high speed that they transformed into individual drills that charged towards Lee, forces of raw power behind them.

Lee dropped all his weights and dashed with all his might to the side, dodging the drills.

They rotated around and surged towards Lee from the left and the right of his front, and there was a wall behind him, he couldn't dodge.

Lee unlocked the First Gate of Life, surging his body with divine chakra, and met both Kiba and Akamaru head on, a fist for each face.

Kiba and Akamaru knew it wasn't wise to suddenly turn against the momentum they'd built up, and assumed their chakra and kekkei genkai combined had enough power to defeat both Lee's palms.

His palms collided, sending a vibrating boom of fiery heat and pure force down their bodies, and then were blown back by the resulting twin explosions. Flung against the ground, too injured to move, they were sent out of commission.

Rock Lee had won, proving that hard work beats kekkei genkai.

* * *

**Uchiha Sasuke VS Zaku**

* * *

"Stop looking at me with those eyes full of pity!" Zaku shouted, knowing now was his time to redeem himself. Orochimaru had ordered him to kill Uchiha Sasuke. Zaku would have done it, if that pink haired girl hadn't interfered. But, she wasn't here to protect Sasuke now.

Zaku sneered and pointed his arm towards him.

Sasuke's sympathetic eyes turned cold.

"I will not hesitate to end you. Not because you hurt Sakura..." Sasuke added reluctantly. Ever since that moment in the Forest of Death in which Sakura acted insane and high with power, Sasuke had begun to develop an aversion to anything related to vengeance. He didn't want to end up like the sight he saw before his eyes that day, a Sakura monstrosity, and he also didn't want the dobe or meiwaku to feel anything like he felt that night, the feeling of losing a friend to the hatred inside revenge.

But just how long could he abstain from vengeance before he loses to the temptation?

"But rather, I want to get this over with as soon as possible," Sasuke said. Unbeknownst to him, he was beginning to sound a bit like Itachi's pacifist side.

Zaku laughed.

Sasuke made a several hand seals and blew out his mouth a large fireball flying towards his opponent.

Zaku released the air in his arm through his pipes, but that only intensified the fire.

He got razed and screamed as he ran aside, however, ninja wire surrounding his feet tripped him to the ground tying him up. Apparently Sasuke had set them up during the distraction.

The fire set on him as he threw himself to the ground and rolled around trying to snuff out the fire before he gets burnt to a crisp, but the wire kept him tangled and heated.

Sasuke took that moment to splash a bucket of ice cold water over Zakku's head (unsealed from one of Naruto's lucky scrolls.) The brain freeze that resulted kept Zaku paralyzed for a second too long.

Sasuke kicked him in a spot he assumed to be a pressure point and Zaku passed out, exhausted. What Sasuke didn't know was that he actually gave the sound ninja a concussion, because he hadn't been reading or doing his anatomy research properly.

Hayate announced Sasuke as the winner and they moved on. No one was surprised.

* * *

.

* * *

Hinata's milk white eyes were glued to the screen, wide and petrified, and as pale as her own skin which lost color as soon as her match-up was shown.

* * *

**Hyuuga Hinata VS Dosu**

* * *

Hinata ducked her head. Now was her time to show her strength. She'd promised Sakura that she wouldn't stop trying.

Sakura had confidence in her, Sakura had rejected to look at her answers during the written exam because she didn't want to risk getting her disqualified too...that must have meant Sakura believed Hinata would pass the Chuunin exams and didn't want to sabotage her chances just to pass herself. It's been so many years since another person had confidence in her, Hinata wouldn't betray that faith.

Flashback;

_Hinata had been certain Sakura would fail, things seemed utterly hopeless with Sakura's blank answer sheet and time was running out. It was sad, but Hinata was comforted with the thought that even if Sakura didn't pass, at least Sakura believed in her to pass._

_But then Sakura let out an unfeminine growl scaring Hinata to attention, proceeded to tough out all the answers with her brain, and prop her head down to sleep for the remaining duration of the written test. Hinata never stopped staring at Sakura throughout the last minutes. She peeked under Sakura and saw that the hard work resulted from manually calculating those answers, and she also saw that...all of Sakura's answers were the truly correct ones whereas some of her own answers from the Chuunin plant had been incorrect._

_Afterwards Hinata went up to Sakura and asked how._

_"I didn't think I could answer those questions because they were incredibly complex stuff which should have been impossible for a genin to answer. But, even though I had no idea how to solve them, I attempted them anyway and figured out all the answers!" Sakura had pat Hinata's shoulders. "If I had just given up before even trying those impossible problems, I wouldn't have passed..."_

_The breeze had decided to blow on them, making her pink tresses look nearly divine and her words golden. "...which shows...all humans are bad at predicting fate, so, just in case, we should never set a limit for ourselves...because you never know...maybe there's something worth taking the risk to gain."_

Hinata stopped trembling and resolved herself. Sakura wasn't here...but Naruto was. And they shared basically the same ideals. Both started off as civilians and failures who failed every Academy test. And right before her eyes, both had worked their way up and she'd seen how Naruto feasibly defeated her teammate with a weird, powerful chakra. He grew from the dead last into someone beyond their league.

Sakura may have been the guide that gave her the last push, but Naruto was her example, before her eyes, and now it was her turn.

She emboldened herself and raised her timid, soft voice up into an octave loud enough that everyone in the room to hear.

"Watch me, Naruto-kun!" Her voice echoed loudly.

Everyone went quiet.

All of them turned to stare at her, including the enemy ninjas.

The sound nin and even Orochimaru in disguise bored their eyes into her making her shiver and start to regret shouting that out loud.

Kurenai, Kiba, and Shino stared at her as if she were a maniac. They had never heard Hinata raise her voice so loudly, and so boldly in public before. They were no help.

She turned her gaze towards Naruto, finally having caught his attention, after all these years" Her only fear was his reaction; she briefly remembered Sakura's words and wondered if it was worth taking this risk to shout out Naruto's name (which was basically declaring her love for him in public)- too late now.

Naruto's cerulean eyes met with her pearl ones, and five seconds past, before he gave her a slight nod of acknowledgement. His eyes were seriously assessing her.

Then, as if Hinata's face couldn't get any redder from his full attention, a wide grin split across Naruto's face as he gave her a thumbs up. "I'm rooting for you, so give it all you've got, Hinata!"

He'd dropped the -chan, -san, or any suffix. He must be treating her as an equal instead of a love interest she secretly anticipated. She realized how fitting his wordplay was; she was just about to fight.

"Mm!" Hinata couldn't help but smile widely back as she nodded, her short hair swinging a bit with the action.

She knew Naruto was going to watch every second of her battle, because the maximum number of people who publicly acknowledged Naruto was probably 5 out of a million, and just now, she added herself to that scant list.

She wondered why she hadn't done this sooner, she could feel the warmth of Naruto's gaze, like a guardian angel's, at her back as she made her way to the center of the arena. Across from her, stood her opponent. A mummified, hunchbacked, sound ninja named Dosu. He was probably twice her age and triple her size and beyond her league.

His deep voice vibrated across to her ears. "That was some nerve of yours to confess to a boy standing at the other side of the room."

"T...That wasn't a confession!" Hinata stated, clenching her fists to force herself not to tremble.

Slowly, the skin at the side of her eyes tightened, "That was to ensure Naruto-kun doesn't miss this moment where I finally shine after failing my entire life, and to earn his acknowledgement of me as his equal," she breathed. Longest sentence she'd ever uttered.

"Hahaahahah!" Dosu clutched his stomach, making his hunch more prominent as he towered over her. "What's with you psychopathic Leaf nin?" An evil smirk gleamed behind his mummified, dirty white wraps as his condescending voice transformed into pure malice. "All the more fun for me."

Hinata's jaw tightened as well as the skin surrounding her eyes. Twenty thick veins emerged on her temples, enlarging as chakra flowed through them connecting to her white eyes.

_Byakugan_.

Suddenly, her vision amplified. She could see everything. She could see Neji-nii-san looking down upon her with eyes of condescension, hatred and sadism as if he were waiting for her to entertain him by losing and getting injured in the most gruesome way possible. He almost reminded her of her father.

Yet at the same time, Naruto-kun watching her with wide eyes and a proud smile, giving her his full attention and full confidence. Naruto nullified Neji's presence entirely.

That is, until Neji, knowing she could see everything, mouthed, 'You are destined to fail.'

Hinata froze and Dosu took advantage of that and charged her, his single arm swiping outwards. The metal gauntlet-like gizmo attached to his arm sucked in the surrounding air through its pipes. Dosu swung at her in slow-motion.

Even though she dodged, Hinata watched as the chakra in the mummy's arm was being carried through the Sound waves towards her face. As the airborne chakra was nearing her, Hinata realized she shouldn't let that touch her and literally RAN backwards and sideways, disregarding the high unlikelihood of success, only accounting the fact that she HAD TO outrun the speed of sound.

Jyuuken went to her feet at the bottom of her soles formed craters as she jumped backwards, skidding across the concrete floor, leaving indents, and coming to a stop.

Hinata breathed hard, panting as adrenaline ran through her veins, especially her Byakugan.

Up on the railings, Neji snorted and shook his head. 'As expected, it is fate for the Main Branch of the Hyuuga, even a failure, to win against a non-Hyuuga,' he mouthed.

_ I think I've figured out the technique now! His arm sends sound waves to people's ears to burst eardrums and enter inside the head to make brain damage using chakra! If I didn't have the Byakugan I wouldn't stand a chance.._. Hinata gulped.

She sprinted towards Dosu and started jabbing at him as he attempted to send sound waves at her back while blocking her hits. Hinata didn't duck every physical swing the man swiped at her, but jabbed her fingers in his arm each time he swung at her. The sound waves entered her ears and she felt crazily dizzy, losing her orientation and concentration. But it wasn't insufferable.

Being a Hyuuga specialized in speed and taijutsu, she ducked every physical swing the man swiped at her and jabbed at every incoming sound wave with her gentle fists cutting off their chakras before they could enter her ears.

They were getting nowhere until Hinata realized Dosu wasn't using any attacks EXCEPT his one arm and if she had any chance of landing a vital hit, she needed to get rid of that arm.

Hinata began dodging and severing less and less, and attacking his arm more and more, jabbing her fingers into the chakra points inside his arm each time he swung at her. However, that made her not be able to get some sound waves that went inside her ears, and Hinata let out a cry as a stinging pain inside her head began.

Not only that, but her fingers got bruised too!

However, Dosu's eyes widened. He suddenly found he could not move his arm as fast anymore. "What..."

Ignoring the pain and gritting her teeth, Hinata repeated the same process again. When Dosu sent another sound wave at her, she severed it with her other hand. With the enemy's arm down, Hinata took the opportunity to thrust all her chakra into the man's chest.

A second slower, he slammed his gizmo included with all the sound waves into her.

Now there were multiple instances in which sounds of different amplitude entered her. Most of them weren't lethal because she had managed to cut portions of them off, but she placed all her chakra and focus into her one shot kill attack, which landed.

The sound entered her ears and Hinata collapsed, her body writhing with pain. She saw hallucinations everywhere and her head had a ringing sound that wouldn't go away, her joints twitching and her body convulsing.

But Dosu felt the chakra surrounding his stomach and heart cut off. His body and chakra system was shutting down and he collapsed backwards.

As Hayate announced her as the winner, Hinata's ears and forehead bled as she climbed up to look at Naruto, who was grinning right back at her, his blonde hair and golden smile beaming like sunshine.

She smiled when she saw Naruto cheer and with all her remaining strength, raised her hand into a thumbs-up before collapsing.

Kurenai caught her body.

"Wait, please, Kurenai-sensei, let me stay for the last battle," Hinata weakly pleaded just as Kurenai-sensei began to take her to the clinic.

"But-" Kurenai began, but was cut off short when she remembered the only two who haven't fought yet.

"Very well, Hinata," Kurenai relented, and set the frail girl down, leaning her back against the wall.

Hinata felt her fear slowly return even ignoring her crush when he sat himself down beside her. She felt all her dreams and ambitions fly out the window like impalpable air.

"S-Sakura will lose." Hinata murmured, closing her eyes, exhausted.

Down below in the arena, a slow, sadistic smirk snaked across her older cousin's face.

* * *

**Hyuuga Neji vs Haruno Sakura**

* * *

And...she's late.


	65. Long Ass Chapter

演员

* * *

"Obito-kun, this is too hard!" Little Sakura complained, wringing her hands through her messed up, dirtied pink hair, which, by the way, she always kept combed, neat, and straight, until she met this damned bipolar ghost!

_If any of my non-existent friends knew this _

**Oh they exist, they're just not your friends, Forehead, unlike a true ghost like Obito—**

_If they knew this, they'd send me to Ino-pig's dad to check if I'm crazy. I mean, being beautiful and then I suddenly stop combing my hair and have dirt and grime on my face, wear torn up clothes, and stink of sweat just because I become friends with a ghost? Is Obito really a real ghost or am I just making up an imaginary friend because I have no friends? _

"Obito-kun, are you real?"

Obito facepalmed. "Of course I'm real! Just because I'm a ghost doesn't mean I'm fake! Keep training!" Obito threw a punch at Sakura's face and Sakura gasped, frozen still waiting for her pretty face to get bruised, only for his hand to phrase through her head.

Obito withdrew his hand and glowered at her, though he managed to look cute through his funky orange goggles and childish pout on his face, like an indignant kid. "You! You! Need to learn to predict my moves, and _DODGE_ them before they land!"

"I can't predict moves! I don't have the Sharingan like you do!" Sakura flailed, "I'm not awesome like the old peeps I help out!"

Obito got into her face. "What does having Sharingan gotta do with predicting and countering attacks?"

Sakura made no move to get away since his breath didn't stink. Rather it was thin air, and she was long used to the ghost invading her personal space. She held ground and countered back.

"You idiot you move too fast! I'm 100000x slower than you because you're a genin! The only way I can hold my own against you is by knowing what you'll do _next _and reacting accordingly. But I can't see the future!"

"Sakura! Don't tell me all that time you waste on medical books and anatomy and surgery techniques and chemistry and calculations are all put to waste! I thought you were supposed to be good at theory!"

"You're the one who forced me to read those documents!" Sakura's voice gained the sassy tone Ino used during arguments as she scrunched up her nose, her hands placed upon her hips. "And besides, how is being good at theory and reading those difficult textbooks supposed to be the same thing as having the Sharingan?!"

Throwing his arms up in the air, Obito rebutted, "It's the same thing!"

...

He sighed. "Listen, you know every muscle in the human body, right?"

"Um, yeah….kinda."

"I told you how ocular jutsu works. The Byakugan can physically see every muscle and chakra point in the human body, but you already _KNOW_ every muscle and chakra point in the human body," Obito emphasized as if daring her to say she didn't study the assignments he gave her. "You read for hours and more hours, you researched the things that weren't written in my textbooks."

Obito flailed his arms, gesticulating excitedly, "Even your own notes are considered newly discovered, textbook-worthy material! I'm telling you _not_ to put that knowledge to waste! You don't need to X-Ray vision to know what's inside a human's body because you've studied everything there is to know about it! Now VISUALIZE it! Look at my body and try to imagine where everything is! Of course all bodies are different, but with experience you'll be intuitively correct 90% of the time! If you wanna get even better, become perverted and peep at nude people like Jiraiya does!"

That was asking way too much of her— but for extra measure, Obito tore off his clothes revealing his slender body with tiny baby abs. He looked aesthetically appealing (unbeknownst to her, it's merely a genjutsu, his real body was adult, half crushed and remade with white Zetsu.)

Sakura had never stared a topless boy in real life before, she shamelessly looked up at down Obito's body in fascination. Then she started imagining beyond his skin, visualizing his muscles, organs, bones, veins, and chakra pathways. Everything she learned from her biology textbooks was connected to real bodies in real life, her big forehead felt like it would to explode from all the possibilities.

Who knew booksmarts could be this useful for practical application? She didn't need to be born from a dojutsu clan to be great!

Obito decided to give her more torture by beginning to remove his pants but Sakura screamed for him to stop so he stopped and shrugged, telling her a few more things he deemed important.

"The Sharingan slows down every movement, assesses them, and uses the data to predict future attacks! You know? You can do the same thing. You know everything that's going on inside a body, and you're so unprecedented at calculations, logic and theory. Your brain is basically the Sharingan!" Obito looked so eager like he was completely fascinated by her, stars in his eyes. "You, are, amazing, Sakura."

Sakura felt her heartbeat quicken and her body felt heat rise up to her cheeks. A fluttery, weird coiling, feeling inside her lower stomach because of Obito's impactful words.

No one had ever paid this much attention to her before and taught her so much and complimented her this wholeheartedly and genuinely. She'd never seen so much emotion from another person directed towards her, so much faith and devotion and love...not even her own parents who left her alone for the most part except official occasions.

Obito made her own "love" towards Sasuke-kun pale in contrast.

"T..thanks," Sakura said with an embarrassed laugh and a hand behind her head—an Obito-tick she unintentionally took on. She dropped her hand and looked at her best friend with a grateful smile, "Thank you." _For everything_. "I'll do my best."_ Just watch me_.

Obito recognized it. She was so easy to read because she was so similar to himself.

What she didn't know was that he didn't initially exactly plan out everything in Sakura's lesson plan for her sake.

* * *

演员

* * *

_Obito dreamed of a world where Rin survived. Minato-sensei, Rin, Baka-kashi and him together as a team in a world which knows only peace._

_In his ideal world, Rin would be an adult by now._

_Rin would be on his team. Rin would have trained with him for years, sparred against him and knew his every weakness. Rin wouldn't be fazed by any dojutsu user because she was too experienced. That was the Rin he planned to create in his Infinite Tsukuyomi._

_The Rin who was so skilled in medical ninjutsu and anatomy knowledge that she was the equivalent of a Sharingan user; the Rin who could have been, if she'd stayed alive and kept training with him and growing up together._

_That Rin who studied so intensively, who was so skilled in academics. She was perfect and he wouldn't change her strengths. She could go toe-to-toe with him whenever they sparred, even when he had his prized Sharingan activated. Because they were equal teammates who knew each other better than they knew themselves, and she would be a better sparring partner than any other Uchiha, because her knowledge and brain was as accurate and fast as any Sharingan when it comes to predicting attacks. That Rin would have been amazing..._

_That Rin died long before any of her potential was realized. Obito will amend this error._

_Anyway, due to his elaborate imagination of Rin, he ended up imposing his daydreaming into Sakura who sucked it all up like a sponge. He went to extreme lengths and had her read and study textbooks and notes of his choosing ten hours per night. He truly did make her go extreme to the point that she was failing all her Academy classes._

_But it was all worth it. He never imagined he'd get a glimpse of his imagination in reality so soon._

_Sakura was growing up to Rin's age and...Sakura could become as strong as his Adult Rin could have been. It seemed his many years spent daydreaming about Rin Nohara of the Moon's Eye Plan actually proved quite useful._

_He knew he was getting a bit greedy and he should endure everything until his plan came to a success, only then can he enjoy the actual Rin instead of a pink-haired substitute...but he quickly quashed that idea because he knew Sakura was a very easy-to-manipulate girl, and it would be such a waste if he left her, a pawn that would grow into a queen, alone now...not to mention, Sakura was his friend. He would go insane from committing too much mass murder if he didn't have a Rin-type friend to keep him reminded of his true goal of eternal peace. It was the same reason he kept visiting the memorial stone only during times he was certain Kakashi would be there._

_And it wasn't like he knew how to train Sakura on anything non-Rin-related. Rin was the person he daydreamed the most about, he figured he should teach her all the Rin-related stuff. (Even if Sakura was nothing like Rin, he would have still done so. It just happened that Sakura had at least the amount of intelligence Rin had.)_

_So in conclusion, Obito had no regrets. He already had the girl wrapped around his finger. He was the world to her and he would not hesitate to exploit that if it could lead him any closer to the Infinite Tsukuyomi where all the damage he's done would be repaired._

_Although he couldn't help but be fascinated by her every time. She not only had traits he adored, but also had a soft spot for the elderly, something his past self could relate to. He wondered if, had she been born around the same era he was, before everything turned disastrous, would he have befriended and loved her more than he loved Rin? If she were to stay alive when Rin died, would he have continued to remain so blind and selfish that he'd still see the current world as paradise?_

_No. No one could have replace Rin, because Rin represented all good things of the world, and Rin's death indicated that other good things could die, that includes Sakura-chan. To think things would have been different if he had someone else to distract him from Rin's death was a scary thought and it was breaking his resolve. This world was hell and all of it deserved to be sacrificed for a new world where everyone's alive and happy. A world of only victors and no losers. Peace without pain, life without death, the good without the evil._

_If he ever sacrificed Sakura, he could easily bring her back from within the infinite Tsukuyomi._

_She was merely his favorite pawn, a girl he invested the most time on due to pure chance, nostalgia, and sympathy. Nothing more. But Obito was MAYBE beginning to develop a strong bond towards his pawn, the same bond he shaded with Kakashi and Rin. Tobi realized he should really focus on achieving his plans. Not to mention, there was Itachi to deal with. If Itachi discovered his precious pawn...well, things would turn catastrophic._

_Tobi was going to leave Sakura very soon. Ironically, she'd end up on the same team as Itachi's brother, when the last thing Tobi wanted was for Sakura to have a chance at contacting Itachi._

_It was too risky. He needed to leave, soon. The least he could do is direct Sakura back on the right path so that she doesn't waste her years being lost without him._

_He had no use for a chess piece that couldn't move on its own._

* * *

演员

* * *

They've been training for quite some time. Sparring and learning for months upon months. Every night Sakura would come to him, mostly through a manhole into one of the underground tunnels Orochimaru abandoned.

Sakura was more aware of her time with him than her early morning hours, which she spent halfway or fully asleep. Even her friendship with Naruto was nearly nonexistent since all her time was spent asleep during the daytime. She's become nocturnal to his pleasure.

Obito was happy about that. It's a nice change to get a devoted friend who wouldn't question him, Pein was always forcing him into mind games, but with Sakura, he could let his guard down.

He looked at said disciple and made a pouting-teacher-like expression as he attempted (and failed) to look stern and serious. "Now, you've got this?"

"Yes!" Sakura nodded, inwardly laughing at his face. "I don't even get scared or close my eyes when you punch my face because I know you can't scratch me! Cha!"

_Oh...how little you know...how easily I can kill you, cherry blossom… _

"Awesome! You're getting better." Obito grinned and made a victory sign.

Sakura beamed. To her, it was the best training experience ever! She actually got to fight without getting covered in bruises or becoming too injured to fight. The reason she failed most of her taijutsu and combat classes was because she was hated pain, but there was none here! And she was getting better; she might even beat Sasuke-kun! **Forehead, you're getting too arrogant.**

They could have thirty matches against each other and Sakura wouldn't even get a scratch, just feel sore and exhausted. She didn't need to worry about getting beat up because Obito was an impalpable ghost, this was a ton better (and less painful) than training with a real, living human!

Not to mention, every time Obito landed a hit on her, Obito would shout out where exactly he hit her, just in case she didn't see it. Sakura's eyes eventually learned to follow most or some of Obito's movements and attacks, and with so much practice, and her mind running through anatomy textbooks fast, she learned to predict Obito's attacks without even needing to see the whole thing.

Soon Sakura realized she didn't need the Sharingan at all when just her brain alone can predict an opponent's attacks and her medical knowledge gave her a mental visual over her opponent's chakra pathways and vitals— she wasn't accurate, but she found that her fat punches of power didn't need accuracy when it could disrupt an entire chunk of a chakra pathway, instead of a tiny needle-spot the Gentle Fist style tended to inflict.

"You see, Sakura, all that studying and training, thanks to the one and only awesome me by the way, paid off. Never let it be said that your birthright determines your capacity. You, a civilian-born girl with no special ability, used what every human is born with: the brain.

"You have no Byakugan yet you have its perception, you have no Sharingan yet you have its foresight. Or, well, close enough!" Obito clapped. Honestly he'd exploited her brain much too much, he always wondered when she was going to burn out, but she never did._ Did this small girl have unlimited brain cells under that cute forehead?_

A wide grin split across her face, her hands flying up in the air as she did a victory jump. "Shannaro!"

Obito placed his hands over her cheeks without materializing them, lest he ruin his guise as a ghost. He watched her cheeks heat up despite not feeling his touch. Obito smirked smugly.

_Above average grades, not from any clan or organization, no friends, easily forgettable when absent, preferably with family problems, a lonely child desperate for affection...it's a shame I can't take her with me._

Obito started off softly.

"Sakura-chan, if I ever leave, and I will, we will meet again someday. Also," Obito's hands lowered to her shoulders as her emerald eyes followed.

"I'll always be the same old Obito. Whether I look, act, sound, or think differently, I'm still me, whether in this world, or in another realm," _such as the Infinite Tsukuyomi._ "So anything I have to say in the future, hear me out, alright? I am bringing eternal peace upon this world."

Sakura blinked, confused. She'd never quite understood that concept despite Obito explaining it to her a million times, it sounded like only a god can do something as hard as that... The question came out automatically. "Are you a god or something?"

Obito chuckled, reminded of Pein, not to mention even after all those science textbooks she still believed in supernatural stuff. "No, Sakura-chan, I'm just a boy who wanted to become the Hokage and win over a certain girl's heart."

"Right, you told me, heh," Sakura rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, her eyes closing cat-like. _We're so similar! I wanna be Hokage and win Sasuke-kun's heart too_! Sakura opened her eyes and peered at him. "Then are you one of those angels?" Sakura was definitely having fantasies, imagining herself with wings and halos.

"As of now, far from it, but in the future I will be. The ends justify the means, Sakura-chan," Obito articulated before seeing the confusion on her face which made him elaborate. "You may be worthless now, but you will be Hokage in the future. That enough makes you worthy now."

Sakura beamed and glomped her arms around Obito's waist only for her hands to phrase right through. She pouted. Really! She was trying to be nice and a big-sister figure to a lonely ghost like Obito but somehow he ended up becoming her strictest teacher and drill sergeant! How did that come to be!? **Cha! **

Obito ruffled her hair though she could not feel it. "I can't be your teacher forever,"_ I have until Itachi slaughters the clan._ _Not much time now. _ "I gave you a map, notes, and instructions on honing your skills once I'm gone. You want to study and invent medical techniques that can reverse deaths, which you're doing excellently on, so that's good...and you want to become the Hokage too...however, the Hokage is the strongest shinobi in the village, so don't neglect your physical training. Do both, and with my mental and physical conditioning outline: it's two birds, one stone. Alright, Sakura-chan?"

"Okay..." Sakura looked down.

Obito hugged her (he'd been doing that often, but she was the one who gave him lots of hugs before he began returning them back tenfolds.)

Sakura cheered up and pretend-hugged the boy back.

Obito inwardly laughed an evil sound. He was ruining her childhood, but she was happy about that, grateful even, _so whatever_. His plans were going well, and his motivation towards achieving his ultimate goal was stronger than he'd ever felt in _years_.

If it wasn't fair enough, he'll eventually return her stolen childhood back to her in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, like he'd do with the rest of humanity; his Sensei's son, his baby cousins, his teammates...and the millions of deaths he caused. It was too late to back out now, otherwise all their deaths would have been in vain.

_He'll bring them all back._

...and maybe, if he pulled her strings right, he won't have to do it alone.

It would make things much easier for him if she ever does become the next Hokage,

"I'm always watching you," Obito quoted the decreased girl from his distant past. "I'll watch when you become Hokage."

A shy smile widening into a confident grin on her face that she never possessed before meeting Obito, Sakura nodded with a thumbs up gesture, oblivious, too oblivious.

"_Just watch me_."

* * *

演员

* * *

"Baka-sensei, this is too hard!" Sakura complained, evoking an eyetwitch from said idiot sensei. The jutsu Kakashi taught her required getting inside an opponent's guard and sneak up behind them. It was WAY impossible, it required S-rank jounin skill when facing even an average genin.

"It appears I've jumped far too ahead to the advanced stuff without teaching the fundamental lesson," Kakashi stated, earning a rapid nod from Sakura, "that lesson being respect and _absolute_ obedience." At this Sakura shook her head in denial rapidly.

"The respect you were supposed to show since day 1, but because we never did the bell test and I never showed you my genjutsu, you never grew intimidated by me," Kakashi scolded in a certain sarcastic tone that he only used on Obito, "And disregarded me ever since, even though I was _NEVER_ late to our training sessions, unlike a certain Haruno."

"Hahahah!" Sakura laughed at his fail 'joke,' and Kakashi mused, _yep, the day I get respect from Uchiha Obito is the day pigs start flying. _

"Whoa! You mentioned a genjutsu?" Sakura perked up from the ground, a grin sliding across her face as her eyes flashed red. "Do it on me!"

Kakashi sighed, making the necessary hand seals in record speed. "It's pointless now that you've activated your eyes, which takes away all the fun in scaring you. Hell's viewing technique!"

Sakura's eyes widened at the chakra-colored sights of Naruto and Sasuke coming to her all injured. Her face went white and she screa-

Kakashi slammed his hand over her mouth, muffling her screams and soothingly speaking. "Relax, it's merely a genjutsu, see?" He snapped and the genjutsu vanished.

Sakura exhaled, pushing his hand away, a frown on her face. "Right. What's gotten into me. I knew it was a genjutsu but I still couldn't stop panicking, I really am pathetic aren't I?" Sakura smiled sadly as she looked at him with dark eyes.

The expression didn't suit her at all. Kakashi reached over and slapped the back of her head earning him a distorted yelp.

"Genjutsu isn't a problem you should worry about, because the Uchiha clan is dead," Kakashi said bluntly and watched a worse expression of grief flash over her face. He'd always been insensitive. "Konoha is the only nation that utilizes illusions, and you won't see much of it coming from our enemies."

"I already know how to cast genjutsu. I knew how way before getting the S-Sharingan. This will be a piece of cake."

Sakura's hands moved at the same speed Kakashi did earlier and looked straight into Kakashi's eye. "Hell's viewing!"

Kakashi went white as he saw an image of 12-year-old Obito. He didn't notice when Sakura punched his stomach, hard, snapping him out with the pain.

Kakashi regarded her silently. How could she know what Obito looks like? Was it intentional? Or did she simply modify the genjutsu to extract his most cherished person from his own mind?

"That was my old teammate you showed me." Kakashi stated bluntly. _How?_

"What? I made a genjutsu of myself!" Sakura said.

"Aah." Kakashi looked contemplative. "With pink hair and every—with pink hair?"

"yes, with pink hair," Sakura furrowed her brows, "Did I screw up?"

"You made a genjutsu of yourself, but it turned out to be Obito Uchiha, who died before you were born." Kakashi drawled carefully, neutrally. "When you make a genjutsu copy of yourself, you're supposed to imagine yourself, but that's the person you imagined yourself as."

"Ummm who knows! Weird things happen!" Sakura laughed. _Shoot! Why did I have to remember Obito-kun now? _

**Cha! Excuse! Excuse! **

"Oi, Kakashi..." Sakura rubbed the back of her head trying to comb through her hair. "Do you believe in ghosts?"

Kakashi's fingers twitched, if she had addressed him as Kakashi-sensei, he would have naturally denied it but as simply Kakashi?

Kakashi's eyes were adrift.

* * *

演员

* * *

_He thought about his hallucinations of his teammates' corpses, the nightmares that followed, his father's ghost that haunted him until Obito somehow made him get over it, Minato-Sensei's dead smile and Kushina-san's pained expression on her militated body. Their presences should have vanished entirely as soon as they were gone from the world, but always, they remained in his thoughts, his nightmares, his chest, the insides of his own being._

_Kakashi had joined ANBU and killed and killed and killed until the thoughts of his dead comrades reduced as more and more people in his ANBU team died. He no longer hallucinated over it when it became a regular occurrence, he had almost wanted to let them die for his mental improvement but he never did because Obito's philosophy stuck to him permanently as strongly as it did his own father. Obito's ghost was the only one that never truly left._

_And, here she was. 99%. As if the universe couldn't torment him enough or perhaps it wasn't torment but a second chance, and for once, Kakashi hasn't screwed it up._

* * *

演员

* * *

"Sure, there are many kinds of ghosts. Ghosts that are a mere figment of your imagination...or the ones that exist in this physical realm. I always assumed the latter didn't exist until I..." Kakashi's eye drifted up and down Sakura's clothed figure. He decided he wasn't sure whether he wanted to know the details...he remained quiet, restraining his thoughts before they strayed into foreign territory. The technicalities of their resemblance were esoteric but he wasn't going to let himself question it, all he cared about was that the direct connection existed.

"They totally exist! Super rare supernatural things!" Sakura earnestly explained, holding a finger up. "You need to be really, super special and lucky to even encounter one. It's like discovering a fairy! A one in a billion chance-"

Sakura remembered when said 'fairy' left and her excited tone softened. "And...they vanish really fast so you _sometimes_ doubt it happened at all."

_Of course I'm not telling him about Obito,_ Sakura reminded herself.

Kakashi stared at her blankly until Sakura felt insecure and ended up glaring at him.

"Hmm," he ruffled her hair into a mess and checked his internal clock, before freezing. "It's lat- t-time for your Chuunin exam match. Make sure you win it this time."

**'This time'? **

Before she could do anything, Kakashi snatched her up and Body Flickered off in all his ANBU speed.

* * *

**Sakura vs Neji  
**

* * *

"Pathetic." Neji snorted disdainfully from his place at the center of the arena. "Even if she's accepted her fate, the civilian girl should at the very least show up and forfeit, because now, she's causing us all trouble."

The proctor Hayate checked his watch, before his eyes shot out towards the upper railings surrounding the gym. Factoring into account everyone who remained, he counted there weren't many, most had left. Suspiciously, the Sensei of the Sound Team was still there, waiting for the final match, even though no other Jounin-sensei was in the arena except Maito Gai who was here for his remaining student and Kurenai Yuhi on the request of said student's cousin.

"The hellz Senpai doinh?" Hayate murmured under his breath before clearing his throat and meeting eye contact with Neji.

"Kid, do you want to automatically win this match?"

Neji smirked, and just as he was about to open his mouth, a certain kid in an orange jumpsuit...

"DON'T DO IT! SAKURA-CHAN IS GOING TO DEFEAT YOU, BELIEVE IT!"

Neji's eye twitched. _That boy, Naruto was it?! That fucker was the one who encouraged Hinata-"hime"-"sama" to win despite that she was too weak to be a ninja!_ Not that he was surprised a Hyuuga would win... He clenched his fists, squeezing his fingers into his calloused palms as he elegantly turned around and faced Naruto,

"What shitty excuse is that? An extra reason for me to agree in disqualifying her?" Neji spat hatefully, his brows furrowed in anger.

"NO!" Naruto yelled, his hands curling into fists as well. He fistpumped the air in the direction of Neji's face, as if air-punching him. "Wait."

Naruto cooled down and stared at Neji. "You mean you wanna disqualify 'kura-chan because you think she's gonna defeat you?"

Neji's eyes widened as he spluttered, "Wh—"

"Don't give up, Long-Haired-Dude!" Naruto resumed his cheering. "I know that our Sakura-chan is the strongest and scariest woman in the world, but you still shouldn't give up before going at it with all you've got!"

Sasuke regarded Naruto silently, wondering just whose side he was on.

Neji had a different reaction: his pale face went red with fury, his eyebrows furrowed tighter, and his stress lines matched that of an activated Byakugan's.

"How dare you imply your civilian nobody of a teammate who rode off Uchiha Sasuke's coattails just to get here, could defeat me, the #1 Rookie and Prodigy of the Hyūga Clan...!"

Sasuke grit his teeth. Let him unknowingly rub it in about how useless he truly was, and how much he needed to get out of here soon and find a way to be useful to his team.

"Ha!" Naruto pointed an accusing finger at the Hyūga. "I'm not implying it, I'm outright betting on it!"

Neji sneered. "Hmph! You are fated to lose such a ridiculous bet..." But suddenly, upon seeing the determined stubbornness in the younger Dead Last's eyes, Neji had an idea. "Very well, I shall participate in the match on the condition that we have the bet."

Dropping his hands, Neji stated, "you will quit your cheering, it's disgraceful. You will never interact with Hinata-'hime'-'sama' again, you're a negative influence. Thirdly, once a loser, always a loser, 'believe it.'"

Naruto frowned. "I don't know why you think that way, but you think Sakura-chan is a 'nameless-nobody' loser. Then I'm telling you, you're wrong. She protected us with her life...My conditions are...well...frankly, if you lose, you have to play three pranks with one of us per month for three years. Secondly, it's people like you who make us losers lose!" Naruto accused passionately. Neji reminded him _too much_ of those disdainful villagers whose acknowledgement he sought.

"Hinata worked so hard, and don't act like I didn't see you trying to get her to give up in the middle of her match— I saw your lips move!"

Hinata watched Naruto in amazement.

"So never discourage anyone who gives it all they got!" Naruto declared. "And the third condition...I don't know. Oi, Sasuke-teme, what do you think?"

"...Fuck destiny." Sasuke stated apathetically, he was entirely focused on the glasses held in his hands, seemingly more interested in her glasses than the event. He didn't even look up or look at Neji. "Fuck it up, break some laws, whatever. I'm not Naruto, I couldn't care less what you do, Hyuuga." Longest statement he'd ever uttered to a person not Sakura or Naruto, and he didn't even pause in what he was doing.

Neji stood dumbfounded...

He clenched his fists, grit his teeth, and his byakugan activated momentarily as he death-glared Naruto and Sasuke.

He perceived they were pitying him despite being inferior to him, to the point they didn't believe he would win against a mere female civilian. They were arrogant imbeciles, retarded clan-less kids who screamed out impossibilities, impractical idealists who hadn't a taste of cold reality.

But slowly, his fists unclenched. Neji deactivated his byakugan, yet that made his eyes seem all the more scarier, because his wrinkles retracted and he looked cold and emotionless. But Naruto couldn't miss the cold, calm anger in his eyes- it was more fearful than that fiery rage he displayed earlier. The calculative anger as if calmly and logically plotting a deeply hated enemy's death.

And a silent second later, his mouth twitched into an amused, sadistic smile. He licked his lips.

"Proctor, do not end the match yet. I shall wait...however long it takes...to brutally slaughter your teammate. As for your boneheaded 'never give up' philosophy, how long can it last as you watch Haruno crumble under my hands?"

Naruto had the chills sent down his spine and his confidence faltered momentarily.

Neji didn't miss up but let out a laugh as he stepped to his spot in the arena, taking a seat and waiting.

Rock Lee chose that moment to go to Naruto and sit beside him.

"I have never seen Neji with such eagerness on his face, not even during all these years that he's sparred me. This is the first time for him to be eager and excited, but not in a youthful way."

"Spandex," Sasuke finally looked up from the glasses towards Lee. Lee raised an inquiring brow and Sasuke smirked, "Unlike your teammate whose had an unlucky matchup, you're not a loser."

Rock Lee raised his eyebrows at the Uchiha's audacity.

"Knowing the meiwaku, we'll be kept waiting, and as such..." Sasuke pulled out a deck of cards. "Let's play."

By long used to Sasuke's selfish antics, Naruto simply sat down with them, completing the triangle, took the game cards, and started shuffling and dividing.

Down below, Neji's fury only grew. He really was going to torture her, and enjoy every second of her screams for he steadily hoped, like them, she'd refuse to forfeit...no matter what he would do to her.

* * *

**20 Minutes Later**

* * *

_Twitch._

* * *

**60 Minutes Later**

* * *

_Oh HELL NO! She's going to pay!_

* * *

**2 Hours Later**_  
_

* * *

Neji was in rage**—** he'll just harass**—** no, he'll MURDER the**—****—****—**

"AH OOPS! Sorry I'm late!" A voice that did not sound sorry at all echoed across the stadium. "A black cat crossed my path and I had to take the long way."

Sasuke closed his eyes, setting down his stack of cards. Opening his eyes, he tilted his head and called out to _her_, "Liar! You're a cat owner!"

"And..." Sasuke smirked, "you almost missed your match by two minutes."

"Eheheheh," She blushed and rubbed the back of her head as her eyes curled into n's. Her eyes opened, twin blacks resembling that of his own clan, and Sasuke felt his heart clench at the memories.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto ran forward and threw his arms around Sakura squeezing her and nearly choking her.

"H-Hey you're supposed to ask before you hug someone!" Sakura squeaked. Her hands reached around the back of Naruto's orange jumpsuit, strategically pressing against his back in a gesture of returning the hug, before curling her fingers to grab the jumpsuit and pulling him off.

"By the way, we made a bet that you'd win against Neji," Naruto confessed, "We were high from winning our own battles."

"Awesome**—** wait, I have to fight a Hyuuga? Seriously?" Indignantly, Sakura's eyes trailed across the room before landing on Hinata. She was looking pale, injured, weak, and**—**

In a flash, Sakura appeared crouched in front of Hinata.

"Sasu-" Sakura needn't complete her sentence for him to understand.

"Tch," Sasuke tugged the orange goggles above her head and inserted the red glasses onto her face.

Focusing her vision to magnify Hinata's skin cells, with the red glasses being both light and electron microscopic, she could see cells and bacteria, perfect for extremely complex medical procedures. _This_ ability. the Sharingan itself did not possess..

Sakura held her hands to Hinata's ears and closed her eyes, focusing green healing chakra onto her wounds. Steadily fixing all the damage Hinata's eardrums suffered, next was her brain, next her heart and lungs.. Finally, she was in stable medical condition.

Hinata started coughing, then swallowed, and looked at Sakura with tired eyes. She smiled steadily. "Thank you, Sakura-ch-..."

"-chan." Sakura allowed, while removing her glasses and returning them to Sasuke for safekeeping (she didn't want to break them, knowing Hyuugas specialized in taijutsu.) Sakura inhaled and exhaled deep breath. "Phew! I'm going to fight n**—**"

"You should be more worried!" That was Rock Lee's voice.

Turning to face him, she recognized his green spandex and bushy brows. Sakura flashed him a grin and a thumbs up that made Rock Lee gape. That was his nice guy pose!

Rock Lee knew it was impossible to fail when a person does that thumbs up- and seeing her thumbs up, he saw those torn, bloody bandages wrapped around her frail fingers, a sign of hard work and integrity. All his doubt vanished within an instant...Team 7's attitude started to make sense...

Now then...Sakura raised both her hands palms outward, as she walked towards the railing, passing in between her Uzumaki and Uchiha teammates.

Allowing slight smile or fully grinning, Sasuke and Naruto double high-fived her as she passed by. She leapt off, spinning and landing onto the ground before stumbling forwards.

In front of her, awaited her opponent...Hyuuga Neji.

And an angry scowl etched on his face. And then the killing intent came.

It was a half of Zabuza's and a quarter of Orochimaru's, though! So Sakura shrugged it off and stood tall and confidently as she pointed at him, before giving him a thumbs-DOWN. "You're going down!"

Lee gasped at the bastardization of the gesture she'd shown him earlier.

At the same time, Kakashi's eyes went wide and his mouth parted as his hands searched for something to grip, no novel. He ended up shoving his hands into his pockets and watched. During his generation's Chuunin exams, Uchiha Obito made the same gesture when he faced Maito Gai, and lost. Kakashi lanced at his old rival, noting that Gai was giving him a deep, confused, questioning, and accusing look. Ignoring him, Kakashi turned his head back towards the battle.

_Just a coincidence, maybe? _Gai concluded uncertainly as he returned to watching.

* * *

演员

* * *

Neji scoffed. "You make me wait two hours, you foolishly waste your chakra on healing Hinata-sama when you need every last ounce of it to even last five seconds against me, obnoxious orange goggles, pink hair? You're not fit to be a ninja, much less fight. And those clothes, what are you, an Uchiha wannabe failure? Do you treat the shinobi life _as a game_?"

"...No." Sakura lamely retorted...she hated insults, they made her doubt herself. "The Uchiha are family..." Sakura hesitatingly confessed, before thinking. "Ah! You're the guy we pranked!"

Neji looked on in confusion as Sakura gesticulated for Sasuke above them to show him.

Sasuke went through her glasses and a projection of the Hyuuga Prank came up.

_"AAAH!" Neji screamed like a little girl at the slug on his bed, and tore up his room with the 32 trigrams rotation._

TenTen burst into laughter and Rock Lee's eyes gorged outwards in shock. "What!"

Maito Gai looked stumped because even he never saw behind Neji's stoic facade. Kakashi sighed exasperated. "Typical of my students."

Neji blinked in shock before stuttering.

"S-SO THAT WAS YOU?!" He pointed accusingly, and activated his Gentle Fist.

"I AM GOING TO KILL**—**" he surged forward and Sakura gasped.

* * *

Serious Battle  


* * *

"38 Trigrams!" Neji growled.

His hands flew all over her body jabbing towards every vital chakra point his eyes showed him. At near-jounin level speed.

Sakura's eyes widened in alarm as she used her own hands to deflect every single move. Her eyes could not keep track, and since didn't want to use her Sharingan for this fight...so she had nothing to rely on besides her own knowledge and predictions of where Neji would attack, and the few glimpses of his phenomenally fast hands.

Sending chakra down to the soles of her feet, Sakura gave herself bursts of speed as she maneuvered around each hit. His hands barely scraped her, but she could feel a blockage of chakra at his barest of touches. Sakura resolved to dodge further or rather cut him off before he touched her.

_Hit._

_Hit,_

_Push._

_Hit._

_Push._

_Push._

_Hit._

_Push._

_Hit._

_Hit,_

_Push._

_Hit._

_Push._

_Push._

_Hit._

_Push._

Sakura started learning, her heartbeat quickened and adrenaline rushed through her veins. Her stress became an advantage that placed her immune system into a fight or flight state and she easily controlled her dopamine levels subconsciously.

Taking Neji's every attack pattern like speed-reading a textbook, Sakura learned.

And then transitioning from pure defense to strategized offense, she started counterattacking, using chakra to accentuate her speed and hitting power.

_Push, pass, punch._

_Take a jab._

_Take another jab._

_Get a punch in._

_Another punch._

_Punch_

_Punch_

_Jab_

_Punch_

Neji had bruises over his body, not in his chakra pathways but external damage. He couldn't believe that a mere civilian, much less a female, could keep up with his Kekkei Genkai attacks with mere speed and chakra alone. Neji growled and decided to go harder on her.

"64 Trigrams!"

_Jab_

_Jab_

_Jab_

_Jab_

_Jab_

_Jab_

_Jab_

**SHANNARO!** _Memorized._

_Jab deflected_

_Jab bruised_

_Fingers bruised_

_Fingers cracked_

_Punched in the face_

_Punched in the chest_

_Punched in the belly_

"128 TRIGRAMS!"

Sakura couldn't keep up even if she used the same speed she had used to run away from Orochimaru.

_Jab_

_Jab_

_Stab_

_Stab_

_Stab_

_Stab_

The jabs have hardened that they entered her skin. Neji actually made skin contact with her.

_Pain_

_Pain_

_Numb_

_Pain_

_Numb_

_Numb_

_Pain_

_Numb_

_Pain_

"Ugh!" Sakura's chakra points were blocked one by one._ I fought Orochimaru but I can't even take this...how can I protect my friends? Will I fail next time?_

"ARGHHH!" Sakura yelled, sacrificing all her chakra points by aiming a fist directly at Neji's chest. She'll knock the wind out this wench's lungs!

_Grab._

Sakura stilled, breathing hard, their taijutsu battle coming to a halt.

Neji held her small fist inside the palm of his larger hand, with sweat beading his forehead. The fingers of his other hand were pressed underneath her underarm.

"W...What..." Sakura's pale lips parted in disbelief. "How...can you..." _Pant._ "...stop my fist with...a single hand?" _You couldn't have done it before._

Still clutching her fist, Neji tugged her sleeve upwards with his other hand. Along her arms were reddening splotches of bruising and internal damage.

Neji smirked, smugly. "I plugged in _ALL_ your chakra points. Your strength relies on pure chakra flowing through your tenketsu to your fist. But without that, you are at my mercy, weakling."

It was true, she couldn't quite send chakra to her feet or fists. Neji didn't miss a single inch of her body— she felt...violated..

Taking a step back, Sakura tried to pull away.

But then he squeezed. Abnormally hard.

Sakura felt her finger and knuckle bones begin to break and...let out a strangled cry of pain.

"STOP IT!" Her eyes teared up. She grabbed the arm that was breaking her hand. But Neji had already sealed off those chakra points of hers from the 128 Trigrams Rotation.

Sakura grit her teeth as she tried forcing physical strength to pry it off. Didn't work. Without Sakura's chakra, Neji was physically stronger.

Running low on options, Sakura lashed a foot up between Neji's feet but he was faster. His chakra-enhanced foot forcefully collided onto hers, sending her crashing to the ground with a painful thump. And then, Neji sat on her back, his hand pressing her cheek against the ice-cold, concrete floor, clenching her pink hair tightly.

He leaned to her ear and whispered, a trace of a malicious smirk upon his lips, "Forfeit."

"N...N-No!"

Neji grabbed her hand and cracked a finger backwards, disjointing and dislocating her bone.

"AAAAHHHG!" Her screams drowned out the protests from her restrained teammates.

Another finger broke.

"Nggggh!"

Another.

She muffled her screams and cried.

Her ring finger.

...

Lastly, her pinky.

Sakura seemed passed out from the pain. Her heartbeat apparently calmed.

Deactivating his Byakugan and stood up from her body.

Sakura seemed passed out from the pain. Her heartbeat apparently calmed.

Neji deactivated his Byakugan and stood up from her body.

Neji scoffed.

He had won but he didn't want to end it, not without teaching her a proper lesson.

"You are just like me," Neji declared, his hand swinging in front of her. "You have such great potential, yet you are confined to being a clanless nobody in face of a Hyuuga. Hmph. You are the same as me: no matter how strong I become, I will always be subordinate in face of a true Main Branch member. That, is unchangeable fate, and it is a fate you cannot escape. Save yourself the agony and give in now."

But suddenly...those words awakened something inside her subconscious.

"**WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?**" Inner Sakura emerged before being pulled back inside the depths of her soul.

Her body rising up like a corpse, Sakura groaned and propped herself aside trying to massage her body. Luckily she knew a few helpful pressure points that would make her blood flow properly. "Not when I've come this far...I won't watch my teammates' backs any longer!"

Neji's calm tired tone grew furious. "You're being childish, kunoichi. You cannot hope to surpass a Hyuuga!"

"'Hope' is useless unless I put my efforts into taking action!" Sakura retorted. "How can I become stronger if I do nothing but dream?"

"You should not even be 'dreaming' like a pathetic fool in the first place." Neji growled, mindful of his position. "There are things you cannot change no matter what actions you take, your inferiority to me being one of them."

Sakura thought of Naruto and Sasuke in the Forest of Death. She knew she, from civilian backgrounds, was weaker than Naruto, the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. and maybe even Sasuke, a true Uchiha. And they BOTH, working together, lost to Orochimaru. Things seemed hopeless when she overheard that Orochimaru wanted an Uchiha body and was about to murder them in a fit of rage over Sasuke's lack of Sharingan. She thought she was hopeless against the legendary Sannin but Sakura still managed to stop him from killing or claiming her best friends. They were safe, and she was no longer physically a burden, but a fierce protector and shinobi comrade.

"No matter..." Sakura tilted her chin outwards onto the floor. Next, her hands extended in front of her, and she pushed, like doing push-ups. Grrr. Her arms stung and vibrated in pain as she pushed herself up, stumbling to her feet, almost tripping over, and her pink hair in an utter mess falling in front of her dark eyes that weren't even hers. Gritting her teeth to hold back the pain burning from all her insides, she flipped her hair and glared at Neji defiantly.. "I'll knock your twisted misconception of reality out of you!"

"You're a clanless civilian Hokage-wannabe, biting off more than what you can chew, blindly taking on opponents whose skill levels you cannot begin to comprehend. Your daydreaming will lead to reckless actions resulting in your death, in which you finally escape the fate you were born into and confined by."

**Cha! Why is he talking so much!? . . . **

Sakura took a moment to process Neji's words.

**No way, he's insulting me!**

Her anger steadily built up.

**Grrr...You wanna talk? I'll give you a lecture! Haruno Sakura is good at lectures! **

"Words cannot describe how much I pity you, civilian girl."

That was the last straw. She finally snapped. Inner Sakura emerged.

"**NO! _YOU_ ARE THE PITIFUL ONE! **That kind of attitude will get you and your comrades killed one day." Sakura jabbed a finger, pointing between Neji's eyes, her other hand placing weight on her left knee, standing unsteadily. "Therefore, **YOU! Are lower than scum!**"

"What the hell are you blabbering on about?" Neji lowered his hands, exasperated. "And impossible, you shouldn't even be able to stand. I blocked all your chakra points."

Sakura flicked her injured hand in a dismissing gesture. "I don't need chakra nor my hand to stand up straight," she said even though she wasn't standing straight, but hunched over, breathing hard, dripping of sweat. "I also don't need chakra nor age to be wiser than you."

"Are you stronger than one of the Sannin?"

"Tch, unfathomable."

"If Orochimaru were to steal or murder your teammates, would you be able to stop him?"

"No, of course not. You sh-"

"One day you'll face off against an opponent a hundred times more powerful than you are," That hand pointed rudely at his face then shot towards Rock Lee and TenTen. "You'd let them die right in front of your eyes!"

Neji narrowed his eyes, conflicted. "Nothing can be done-"

"You sure? 'Cuz I fought _Orochimaru_ with my every last drop of chakra, and kept Naruto and S-Sasuke alive!"

Neji glowered. "_You_ stopped a Sannin? Impos-"

"Hah! See? They're standing right here, alive and safe," Sakura's hand pointed towards her teammates just watching the scene unprotesting.

Neji actually looked at them by reflex. His byakugan took in Naruto and Sasuke, and he seemed to outwardly hesitate as if finally understanding something.

"Ninjas who break the rules are scum. Ninjas who follow the rules but abandon their comrades are worse than scum. Ninjas who have no rules to follow in the first place, but abandon their comrades anyways, are the worst kind of garbage!" Sakura cried.

_What the hell is she lecturing me about being human for, ninjas are meant to be heartless killers. _

He narrowed his eyes.

Neji growled, insulted, "You do not know my family history-"

"Your whatever history doesn't change this one fact: your disgusting attitude about destiny is worse than scum who abandon comrades by following rules. Yours involve letting your comrades die by believing 'everything is hopeless'! A stupid thing if you ask me! You're dumber than Naruto!"

Neji flinched.

"You...are worse than the thing that's worse than scum!"** Two levels down! **

It stung, horribly. He felt his rage bottled up, all his denial and anger. He was going to kill-

Sakura moved first.

She bolted towards Neji, and suddenly Neji felt something he hadn't felt in a long time.

It was so sudden. He wasn't even registering her words yet they forced themselves down to his very subconscious and this feeling he'd learn to suppress most of his life, emerged. Unlocked from the tight, secured, unbreakable box of his weakest emotions.

This feeling of..

_Fear_.

Pathetic. How can he be _scared_ of a little girl? But, this same girl stopped _Orochimaru_. She claimed it proved anything could be possible. What if, she could actually beat him?

The thought scared him, the concept that destiny wasn't set in stone. All his life, he'd known his place in the world. Although he was bitter about it, it nonetheless gave him a certain sense of security. He was infuriated that a random, nameless girl would arouse an earthquake upon everything he knew, shake him from the throes of logic and drag him down unto a path of no return, a path of absolute absurdity.

She left him uncertain and confused; and he was furious of her.

He felt the fury inside him confine him, lock him down. He was about to move his feet, throwing himself back into action. She was making him doubt everything he lived for and he wanted to kill her off.

Taking her life was tantamount to proving her right, while simultaneously proving himself as too afraid to accept she was right. Ironically. The same with actually fighting back.

Her fist came rocketing towards his face. He watched it coming in slow motion, preparing to duck, but then he hesitated. He felt...Moving away meant running away.

Her words had paralyzed him.

_"There are no rules to defy, and yet you still hesitate when a friend is at risk__**—**"_

Sakura interrupted her own voice that was inside his head.

Fiercely.

"SHANNAROOOO!"

And then when her tiny fist collided with his face, despite that he'd blocked all her chakra points, he felt that Sakura harmed him beyond the physical realm, as if she'd electrocuted his soul.

It was the worst kind of pain he'd ever felt. He took a blow to his pride and spirit and sometimes it leaves a scar more permanent than a physical injury.

He hesitated a second too long and his head snapped back, his jaw bone cracked as her fist knocked him off his feet. He fell, crashing onto his back, with his white eyes convulsing.

Sakura's muscle ligament inside her arm tear apart, as her body arched forward with her fist.

"Kuso!" She swore. _I exerted too much force without using chakra._

Panting desperately, Sakura noted her broken fingers swelling up. After biting her lip and letting out a distressed whimper, she noticed she was standing and Neji was on the ground. Wooo! Role reversal! SHANNAROO!

Neji wiped his bloody chin and stood onto his feet. Using his byakugan he cracked his jaw back in place. He was leaking out an aura of gloom and ominous evil. Killer intent.

Evil eyes bored into her.

"Was that all you've got?"

He sounded so murderous, so furious, so much like Sasuke's attitude towards Itachi, that Sakura couldn't help but sweatdrop and retort sarcastically (because she totally sucked at reading the mood.)

"What did I ever do to you?" Sakura tilted her head, feeling cheeky.

Neji snarled. Neji stumbled to his feet and tackled Sakura to the ground.

They rolled around each other like a wheel rolling across the room, trying to top over the other.

No chakra was being used but raw strength.

Either both of them were out of chakra; since they've been using more than their body could give out, or...Neji consciously withheld his chakra out of a misplaced sense of pride after all those carefully chosen words Sakura recklessly threw at him.

But it was certain Sakura had no chakra left. Orochimaru noticed the seal upon Sakura's neck restraining the Curse Mark. He cursed. So, so close. Damn Jiraiya's brat.

"GRRRR!" Sakura tugged at Neji's hair and kicked his chest as Neji attempted to elbow her ribs.

"AAAAAAHHHH!" Neji actually screamed back; apparently hair pulling hurts like hell.

Sakura flipped him over and pinned him down sending a slap to his face. Then she slapped Neji over his head, "That's for breaking my fingers! Cha!"

Neji grabbed her cheeks and pinched, "That's for calling me a sore loser!" He headbutted her.

"Ow!" Sakura exclaimed before seeing the dazed face on Neji and burst out laughing, "You dumbass you headbutted my goggles!"

Neji loosened his hold upon her cheeks momentarily just as Sakura grabbed his mouth next, twisting it into a wide, weird grin and tugging it by either end.

"Whuh-arf-yoh-doin-"

Another kick at his windpipe shut him up, but...

His arms embracing behind her, Neji tackled Sakura onto her back.

"...!"

Neji spat in her eyes but her orange goggles blocked off his saliva. He growled and tugged the goggles with both his hands to remove them, but Sakura's hands went around his neck and squeezed.

Neji's hands slackened, but instantly flew for her neck and squeezed with what weakened strength he had left. Twin choke holds.

"They're really trying to kill each other!" Naruto yelled, panicked.

"Catfight," Sasuke dismissed. _They're both holding back. Using ridiculously civilian-like 'attacks' while not defending themselves from the opposing attacks. Nor are they using chakra. It's as if they're trying to prove a point to the other. _

"He senses that Sakura is holding back while _still_ keeping up with him, so he found it humiliating for himself to _not_ hold back yet still unable to finish her off. It makes him look like a fool for trying too hard." Sasuke summarized. "So he's trying to defeat her while half-assing the fight."

_'Look like a fool for trying too hard'? _Naruto hated that concept "There's nothing wrong with trying too hard, there's everything wrong with _not_ trying hard at all! Both of them are supposed to give this fight everything they've got, in order to win!"

Kakashi placed a hand over Naruto's head. "That's the thing. Sakura doesn't see this as a real 'fight.' Look underneath the underneath, Naruto. She doesn't see Neji as her opponent, even when the rules dictate him as one. Her feelings towards Neji is akin to...mentor to student?" That was the only analogy he could come up with, as he was reminded of Obito's lesson shoved into him.

"Ah. So, she's not taking the fight seriously, only the fact of whether or not her words get through his skull," Sasuke sighed, reminded of Zabuza and Haku. "Not this shit again."

Sasuke was wrong about one thing because... Neji had used all the advanced Main House techniques he knew, immediately after getting through 90 kilometers of the Forest of Death, while Sakura's chakra points were simply blocked. Both of them were exhausted as hell, and at this point Sakura was really using all her raw strength to squeeze and-

Her lungs...are burning!

Her vision was getting blurry...no, it was getting some semi-gray splotches here and there. Soon, the grayness overtook her entire vision like a thick fog that she couldn't see through.

Sakura squeaked as she was losing sensory awareness. Her chokehold on Neji loosened, and her small body fell backwards, slamming against the ground with a loud, clinking thud and bouncing a centimeter. "Ughhhhh." Groaning, Sakura rolled to the side.

Neji dropped his arms to his side, standing smugly, before his eyes froze in its wide state. He fell over backwards identical to how Sakura lost orientation. Crashing to the floor, Neji's eyes remained wide open but he had stopped breathing.

Sakura's eyes were closed but she was visibly breathing, hence Hayate passed over her. Neji's white eyes were wide open but he wasn't breathing.

Hayate crouched down, pressing his fingers on the Hyuuga's neck and checked his pulse. No beat.

"HE'S DEAD!" Hayate yelled in alarm. Everyone gasped.

"Oh fuck, I thought- with all this girl's morals and all, she wouldn't-" Hayate fumbled for words.

Hinata shrieked, her hands flying over her mouth, tears of trepidation forming in her eyes. "N-No...I don't believe it...not like this..."

Kurenai pulled Hinata onto her lap, before shooting a glare at Kakashi.

_Yesss…."Sakura," you already posess bloodlust….kukukuku._

The Sound Team's Sensei barked out a loud laugh as he clumsily formed hand seals that enabled him to vanish in a poof of purple smoke.

"HOLD ON FOLKS!" Anko jumped down, her tan trench coat swooshing behind her as she landed before the Hyuuga's corpse. She tore off Neji's already battered clothing to look over his chest. No visible fatal injuries. Propping Neji onto her arm, Anko shooed away all the paramedics and waved for her genin student.

"Come!"

Haku appeared on one knee beside Anko-sensei. As Anko brushed aside Neji's knotted hair to show his neck, Haku's eyes widened.

There was a piece of chakra needle pierced inside a certain pressure point of Neji's neck. Haku carefully pulled it out. A few moments later, Neji's breath returned and his heartbeat was discernible.

"That was..._my_ technique." Haku said. "And she didn't even use a senbon…"

Anko sideglanced at the Copy Nin. "Kakashi, you trained her well. Last I recall, my student used this during one of your genin's first C-ranks. You must've copied it, am I right?" Anko grinned and elbowed her silver haired colleague in the ribs, "Gave us quite a scare."

"Sorry, did you say something?" Kakashi seemed to break out of a trance.

"Errrrr! Be prepared to have your Icha novel burnt." Anko growled, before jumping upwards—missing the regretful, indifferent expression on Kakashi.

Landing on the statues at the center wall of the arena, Anko yelled in a loud voice. "ALRIGHT MAGGOTS, well the ones who are still here anyway, you've PASSED the Preliminaries!

"You have ONE month to do your training! Before the Final Stage of the Chuunin Exams begin, and by that I mean Final, Individual Matches, just like the ones you saw right here!

"But the difference is, you've got all the intel on your opponents and you've got a month to train!

"Also, don't think of slacking off just because your opponent is weak. For one, as proven in the latest fight, the weak can surpass the strong faster than the eye can blink; and two, even if you defeat your opponent, if you don't show sufficient Chuunin qualities, you're not gonna get promoted! Now, Hayate-kohai!"

Hayate listed the match-ups of the finals..

"Hyuuga Hinata VS Rock Lee,"

Rock Lee was shocked at the prospect of battling his rival's cousin rather than Neji himself. Hinata was just surprised and conflicted at fighting Neji's teammate.

"Uchiha Sasuke VS Yamanaka Ino,"

Ino's face paled, but Sasuke was already walking out, hands in pockets.

"Haku VS TenTen,"

Haku and TenTen looked at each other assessingly.

"Momochi Zabuza VS Haruno Sakura,"

* * *

"I'm sorry Kakashi," Anko said unregretfully with her mouth full, munching on green and red dango. She took another big bite. "It hadda be someone from your team; not Naruto-kun because of The S Rank Secret, not Sasuke-kun 'else the Council is gonna kill me, so Sakura-kun it is." Anko then covered the side of her mouth and tip-toed up to Kakashi's ear, whispering, "Zabuza requested her."

Kakashi sighed. "Neji was one thing...but Zabuza? She's not ready...Shoot! I need to...!" Kakashi vanished faster than her eye could see.

* * *

"Lastly, Naruto vs Gaara,"

Naruto's eyes widened...That psycho who hurt his Academy classmates... He was more worried about Gaara than Zabuza who was a fellow Konoha shinobi. Naruto opened his mouth before closing it and chasing after Sasuke. "Wait up, Teme!"

* * *

演员

* * *

The yellow slits of Orochimaru dilated, the ends of his lips quirked up.

"Why hello there, Kabuto-kun~"

The Sannin purred, his arms crossed loosely over his chest, his purple-polished, placid fingertips shivering in delight. Orochimaru's back leaned casually against a wooden red pillar outside the building, as he overlooked the gardenia scenery.

"My, Lord Orochimaru, I am always impressed, you sense me long before I arrive." Kabuto appeared on his knee, his head bowed before his master.

"But enough of the formalities," Kabuto hopped onto his feet. "I've come to report that Sasuke Uchiha has neither activated his Sharingan nor does he possess any bloodlust." Kabuto narrowed his eyes, pushing the rim of his circular glasses up. The glasses glistened. He waited.

"Kukukuku~" Orochimaru chuckled darkly. "You need not be 'fraid to ask, Kabuto-kun."

His elongated tongue slipped out his mouth and flicked around his lips, absorbing the wondrous rose-scented air.

"Oh Kabuto, it appears we've set our sights on the wrong target. That imposter was no Uchiha." Orochimaru claimed amusingly, "Black hair, black eyes, male? A younger carbon copy of Itachi? That's what Hiruzen's teammate wanted us to think, and he was quite close. For we foolishly believed that ROOT member was Sasuke's persona with what little Intel we had, until I did a little investigation and interrogation. Fufufufu~

"We have the real Uchiha Sasuke under the name Haruno Sakura." Orochimaru brushed aside his silky black hair revealing his translucent neck. "And I've already marked her as my next vessel. It's only a matter of time now."

Kabuto rose his voice. "But Kakashi-"

Orochimaru smirked. "It won't last," _I have made preparations..._

Orochimaru paused, his eyes dilating, glistening of fascination. "I have not felt this much intrigue in many years...the first time when I pioneered immortality, the second time when I discovered how to pull souls out from the very Gates of Heaven, and the third time...Haruno Sakura.

"Beyond what her physical body offers, her mind intrigues me. She preaches the same ideals as the Will of Fire, and immediately murders a fellow Konoha comrade- a Hyuuga, even without the Curse Mark's influence." _Would any non-Uchiha dare do that?_

"I've never come across such a puzzling child, besides Itachi- no, even with all those unhidden expressions on her face, she's far more unreadable than her older brother. Her emotional demeanor and those 'innocent' expressive eyes misdirect you from what she's probably truly thinking: blood and murder, power and vengeance.

"And to think shinobi are taught to never show emotions nor tears." Orochimaru chuckled, "Oh, Hiruzen-sensei, how naive you are."

Kabuto's body was completely stressed and stiff. Orochimaru was prolonging their meeting with his rambling on Sakura, and the longer they were together, the higher chance Orochimaru had of discovering his intents to betray his master.

Swallowing, and rousing out a calm voice, Kabuto replied, "Yes, Orochimaru-sama. It is in your nature to solve puzzles and mysteries. I cannot differentiate if you view her as a vessel, or a specimen. Now, if you will excuse me-" he turned.

"Oh Kabuto, you know you can't defeat me...if anything, now's your chance to kill her."

Kabuto froze.

The Snake Master let out another dark laugh that sent him chills. "I merely jest."

Sparing one last look at Orochimaru, Kabuto vanished.

* * *

演员


	66. ANBU Chidori

Hinata

* * *

The translucent inhaler pumped oxygen through her nose and mouth, and sucked her carbon dioxide back out. She was out cold, needing assisted breathing, and her arms were hung up in an IV. All her lethal blood loss, during the Forest of Death and the Preliminary Rounds, was replenished by the hospital's blood storage, rather than blood pills, for her chakra levels had gone erratically low. They were at absolute zero by the time she was brought out of the Forest, and with a good long rest of three days, her chakra increased to a quarter of her original levels...before wasting it all again on her battle.

She's back at absolute zero again, and the danger was- her chakra points were blocked.

(It wasn't like her body could do any last minute unsupervised healing procedures without access to her chakra network, hence she passed out and was brought to the hospital with frantic medics whom have no confident idea what to do to fix her.)

A young female visitor perched upon a chair in front of the hospital bed, Hyūga Hinata gulped, her forefingers returning to poke at each other again. She swallowed painfully, a tighter feeling inside her chest, as she eyed her friend, Haruno Sakura, and remembered when the pinkette had healed her before going off to fight her nii-san, thinking that maybe if Sakura hadn't spent her chakra to lessen her physical suffering, this wouldn't have happened.

The white bandages wrapped over every inch of her body, and face too. Sakura wasn't wearing any clothes, but it was nothing indecent because the white wraps covered every single shred of skin, like a full bodysuit. That of which also indicated Neji hadn't missed a single millimeter of her body when he implanted those Gentle Fist attacks...32...64...128...

Hinata shuddered. She was a failure who couldn't even do 32... Yet, instead of Neji-nii, she was the one who ended up advancing to the next and final stage of the Chuunin Exams. She wasn't quite sure how she should feel about that...in fact, she had no idea what she should feel.

But there was a teeny, _tiny_ smugness inside her that pulled the edge of her lip into the tiniest smirk. But beyond that, she couldn't stop the happiness that- that she'd come to the Chuunin Exams to see if she could change from her weak, useless self- and she not only proven she actually _could,_ but also that she already_ did._

Although, she was going to have to fight the boy who defeated Kiba. Rock Lee, Neji's teammate. She felt all jittery inside, but then again, if Sakura of all people could defeat Neji, why wouldn't she stand a chance against Rock Lee?

She just needed to train super hard. Kurenai-sensei was perfectly willing to give her one-on-one training for the month since she was the only genin of her team to pass (ironically,) and her father was utterly stupefied and more than proud, he agreed to teach her Main House techniques. Hiashi couldn't believe his eldest daughter would make it to the Final Tournaments, and was secretly grateful it wasn't his nephew of the Branch House (that would've been a blow to his Main House pride.) So of course he would teach her, everything he had. It wouldn't do to have his daughter show anything less than the best in front of thousands of nobles, dignitaries, leaders and Kage.

Hinata was getting acknowledged because she won that match.

She bowed her head, intoning a meep, "Thank you, Sakura-chan," before getting up from her chair and pulling the blankets off the pink haired girl's body.

Bloody bandages did not hinder her vision of the blocked chakra points when she activated the X-Ray vision of her Byakugan.

Hinata moved her fingers over Sakura's body, carefully releasing chakra into each tenketsu Neji had laid his malicious hands on, and unblocked each point, returning her chakra flow. She did that to all 128, +64, +32, and extra. With steady hands, she'd worked on Sakura for four hours, sweat dripping down her temple as her own chakra reserves dwindled.

There wasn't a single Hyūga medic in _any_ hospital (the Main House kept a tight leash on the Branch House) so Hinata was treating these wounds by herself. Because no one else here knew how and was willing to do it, and Sakura-chan didn't deserve to suffer more. Hinata's milky eyes took note of every part that Neji had hit and tried to learn more from it.

Until her eyes felt so strained, drooping midway down, and her breathing so laborious, taking double effort for half a breath of air, that Hinata would stop, but not before unsealing the last four points on Sakura's hands.

Then Hinata felt so sick, she deactivated her Byakugan and stumbled backwards. She fell back into her seat, satisfied with her handiwork.

_Sakura-chan's breathing looks easier, the color is returning to her face_, Hinata thought, letting out a breath her lungs unconsciously held.

She did not know it, but her presence alone prevented Sakura from being almost assassinated.

* * *

Kabuto

* * *

Kabuto hyperventilated, his nerves in a wreck after he'd escaped the predatory eyes of Orochimaru-sama. He stumbled across the hallways, heading for the hospital room of Haruno Sakura, the true identity of Uchiha Sasuke.

His hand clenched a scalpel inside his pants pocket, as he looked back and forth.

Kabuto was the son of the chief of the medical corps, so he was of no suspicion to the three ANBU whom were hanging in the corners of the ceilings covered in an invisibility genjutsu, discreetly guarding Sakura's hospital room.

Kabuto knew they were there. He knew he had to kill these ANBU before he could kidnap or assassinate "Haruno Sakura."

He was actually about to do that, but when he peered around the door frame while preparing his attack, he spotted a Hyuuga girl doing stuff to Sakura's body.

Kabuto wavered between going inside anyway and knocking her out, but then he noticed Hinata applying some Gentle Fist techniques in a medical manner.

Now, Kabuto, being a medic scientist, halted. There was currently no known remedies the Jyuuken attacks for non-Hyuugas, except for ointment and waiting it out. To see a Hyuuga providing instant treatment for a jutsu even Kabuto had trouble understanding how to fix, made Kabuto squint his eyes and watch from behind the door frames. It would be essential if he were ever caught as a spy and attacked by a bullion of Hyuuga clan ninjas.

But in only five minutes- (he hadn't planned to watch longer than 10! Nonetheless, his own time limit was cut in half.) - Someone else arrived. Not that of another group of ANBU, but a certain jounin's arrival changed his entire situation.

Kabuto swore at himself for delaying. There was no way he could afford to fight Kakashi now, he wasn't certain of victory- especially when Orochimaru-sama was being unpredictable and dawdling around like a drunk Sennin.

"Yoh," four feet apart from and hovering over him, Kakashi crinkled his eye. "Here for a visit?"

Kabuto grew alarmed. He swallowed, a forced smile on his face as he tentatively shook his head in denial. "No, thank you. I was just 'passing by' this room, on my way to the volunteer office."

Kakashi raised a single eyebrow and tilted his head at the direction behind Kabuto. "It's on the first floor, at the opposite end of this hospital."

"Of course, of course," Kabuto nodded, clasping his hands together. "So then, I'm off to volunteer." Kabuto purposely stumbled on his feet, dropping his glasses against the floor with a _clink_.

He reached down, touching all over the floor until Kakashi called out "it's at the right of your left foot!" that Kabuto grabbed them and slid them back onto his face.

Already, Kabuto could sense that Kakashi removed his gaze from his back, indicating that he relaxed his guard.

_Good. I haven't betrayed my cover_. Kabuto smirked. It was a pity he couldn't have snatched Sakura, but then again, he wasn't expecting to succeed, with Kakashi so close by.

And consequently, he was never exposed as a spy.

* * *

孤独

* * *

Hinata scurried off, but stopped when she saw Kakashi-sensei, who tilted his head.

As she struggled to utter a word, to excuse being caught red-handed, Kakashi interrupted her.

"You've displayed qualities of a Konoha Chuunin," Kakashi murmured, inclining his head towards Sakura. "You've also...earned my respect."

Hinata blushed, at a loss for words. "T-Take care of S-S-Sakura-chan!" Then she pivoted around him and ran out.

Kakashi stared after her before sitting down across Sakura. He noted that all the kunoichi passed, and the only male to advance, outside of his own squad, was Gai's Rock Lee. It was ironic how things turned out.

The window opened, setting alarms all over his reflexes as Kakashi jumped. A giant toad crawled inside the hospital room, carrying on his back a man of white mane and exotic clothes, the Legendary Jiraiya of the Sannin...Minato-sensei's sensei.

Kakashi would have dropped his book, if he had one.

"Long time no see K-Where is your book?" were the first words the Sennin uttered to the Copy nin.

Kakashi rubbed his eye, which now revealed an eyebag. "That's the least of my concerns. I need you to train Naruto."

"That is one sure way to convince me _not_ to train him," Jiraiya retorted, but relented at the deadly gaze Kakashi leveled him. "But I came to inform you that I would be borrowing that boy for that purpose." Jiraiya settled the point.

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask, his eye curling. "_Now_ I want a book. Mine got torn up when I tried to keep my reckless student from getting herself killed," Kakashi looked pointedly at her.

Jiraiya noted that said student was heavily covered in bandages, and was about to question-

"I'm personally taking her for the month," Kakashi divulged.

"But what about Uchiha Sasuke?" Jiraiya spluttered, utterly baffled.

"She's up against the Demon of the Mist," Kakashi justified, narrowing his sole eye. "Whereas Sasuke-kun will battle Yamanaka's daughter, a genin who thrives on nothing_ but_ teamwork. I would think I can take my eyes off Sasuke for the time being...And Sasuke, why don't you come out? You can't hide from us."

Uchiha Sasuke pushed the door open and stepped inside, Uzumaki Naruto following inside and fumbling.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto demanded, "You can't get teachers for two but not the third! That's super unfair, before you said not to abandon-"

"Dobe, it's fine." Sasuke interrupted, "It makes sense." His onyx eyes looked at her bedridden form, instantly thinking over that time when he felt absolute terror in face of Zabuza, and that horror multiplied by a hundred in face of Orochimaru, and how both times Sakura charged straight into the danger, coming out all beaten, bloodied and barely alive. Sasuke shuddered slightly. "She's fighting the 'Demon' Zabuza again, and I would not want my presence to lessen her preparation. Just forget it."

Naruto stilled, pausing to stare at Sasuke silently. He swallowed, touched. "You can train with me-"

"The same goes for you, Naruto. Whereas, I don't even need that much training against Yamanaka," the Uchiha explicated, "You're fighting a 'Demon' _too._ He shows no mercy, maybe less than Zabuza...Besides, this is your chance to prove the world you're more than a Dead Last, right?" Sasuke smiled, closing his eyes. "I'm leaving." He slid his hands in his pockets and strolled out.

Kakashi cleared his throat. "I sent Ebisu-sensei after him." At the Toad Sage's confused look, the copy-nin described, "The one with the round sunglasses, Sarutobi Konohamaru's tutor."

"YOU WHAAAT?!" Naruto exclaimed, "THAT CLOSET PERV?!"

Jiraiya was nearly embarrassed. _If you have that extreme a reaction towards Ebisu-san, wait 'til you train under me. _"Alright, Naruto, let's go."

Naruto spared one last look at Sakura, before following Jiraiya.

* * *

.

* * *

When Sakura awoke, she found she was covered head to toe in bandages. **CHA! I LOOK LIKE A MUMMY!**

Sakura tore those out and pulled out all the needles taped over her body. "Ew, ew, ew." She resisted the urge to puke as she stumbled onto the floor, gripping her hospital needle pole. Only it wasn't the needle pole but Kakashi's hand.

"Easy now, that isn't a cane and you shouldn't break the equipment," Kakashi-sensei lightly chided. "And you should probably put on some clothes."

Sakura snatched the blanket and wrapped herself up, beet red. Although after all she's gone through, she hardly cared about common decency anymore, but it was still engrained in her mannerisms. "Ah...my clothes are..."

"In shreds." Kakashi-sensei said. "You only had that one outfit, and all your other attires, I'm assuming, are unfeasible red dresses you've long outgrown. Puberty hits fast."

Sakura stared at his feet. But suddenly a new set of clothes draped over her head. She gripped it and stared. It was a black sleeveless shirt that exposed her arms and shoulders, but the front of the shirt rose up high enough to cover the face. A grey flak jacket, shaped like a loose tank-top, laid atop the black bodysuit. The black pants looked like the official jounin ones. There were gloves too, and metal arm guards to go with it.

_A full ANBU uniform? ...What?_

"I didn't care to waste money on buying you new clothes, not to mention it would arouse bothersome suspicions on my giving you special treatment...So as not to waste Konoha's resources, you can have my old ANBU uniform." Kakashi tilted his head, "This used to belong to me when I was your age, before I had hit my growth spurt...So, it _should_ fit you..."

"Uhm-"

"We'll start our training at the grand canyons," he said, giving her a once-over. "Get changed."

"Right here? In Konoha?" Sakura couldn't believe it, what if someone notices her?

"You won't be mistaken for an ANBU shinobi, you have neither the animal mask nor the spiral tattoo on your shoulder."

"B-But..."

Kakashi's eyes sharpened. "However, you need the mentality of one, in order to learn the technique I'm planning to teach you."

Sakura looked down at the uniform. It finally registered in her mind that Kakashi had been in ANBU when he was her age. She shouldn't be feeling so uneasy over wearing a couple of official-looking clothes,

"The Chidori has always been at its most powerful when behind ANBU uniform." Kakashi told her, which made her black eyes widen.

"Yet I didn't include the animal _mask_ for a reason," Kakashi tilted his head, rhetorically asking, "Why could that be?"

Sakura gripped the set of new clothes. She couldn't help but smile, all her nervousness and uncertainty gone.

"I understand, Kakashi-sensei." _Because it has nothing to do with the mask._

Kakashi nodded, and finally reached over, placing his palm on her head in that familiar head-pat. "That's my girl...Get packed. We'll leave tonight.."

Sakura noticed where Kakashi was staring- at the arc of her neck. She understood why he appeared so frantic. He wanted to watch her, just to be safe, before the worse case scenario could happen...

"Yes..." Sakura nodded. "As soon as possible."

After applying a transparency genjutsu, Sakura climbed out the window and landed on the streets, running the way home to get her camping stuff.

And to say bye to her mom and dad...although she felt her chest coil a bit. She knew that there was a cold distance between herself and her parents for what felt like half her life.

She didn't know that Obito-kun made it that way.

* * *

孤独

* * *

**Author Note:** Sasuke will have something important coming up. Naruto too. It seems like Sakura is the most important, but during this month, Naruto becomes a genius, and Sasuke gets stronger. Please review anything you feel like saying :) Thanks for the wait!


	67. daily update again!

妈

* * *

Sakura stood wordlessly. She was the only person in the apartment.

Where had she gone wrong? How could she not have noticed sooner?

When was the last time she saw her parents?

It was right after the A-rank Wave mission. She remembered recruiting Zabuza and Haku as Konoha, and afterwards, everyone had gone home. Or well, she was the only one who had parents to go home to. Sasuke and Naruto walked together home, since they lived at the same place.

Meibuki and Kizashi were not the least surprised, welcoming her home and cooking her a filling dinner. Her mom even tapped her in the forehead and smiled.

When Sakura told them the C rank mission became A rank, their smiles became strained.

When Sakura told them about Zabuza, Haku, and when they killed Gato and slaughtered all his men to complete the mission the extra mile, and when she randomly blew a fireball over a puddle, it turned out there were people inside the puddle that she...killed. And that her team recruited Zabuza and Haku. And that they had a bridge named after her.

The stares on their faces were ones of pure terror.

That was the last she saw of them, but Sakura didn't detect anything unusual in their mannerisms, because it had started earlier than that.

There was a time when Sakura's parents were home every night. Sakura was 7 years old, still in the Academy, and her parents loved her to bits. They had their jobs, and they usually made it home shortly before Sakura did. They told her it was compassionate to help the elderly and praised her for it. Sakura liked getting praised. She helped every local elderly.

Then she met the ghost, Uchiha Obito. As a spirit, he was able to enter her mindscape. He trained her a lot. He talked with her about her deepest secrets, he gave her advice about anything she asked. She listened to his life stories, his rants about his idiot prodigy teammate and praises about the girl of his dreams. Then she ranted back at him about Naruto's screw ups and Sasuke-kun's good looks. They were best friends, even though Obito was supposed to have died under a rock over a decade ago.

Then everyone died.

Then she stopped going home. She attended school only to sleep, and she left school only to go to Orochimaru's abandoned underground laboratories, where Obito awaited.

Her parents never noticed, or maybe they did, but pretended not to. She was almost eight years old.

Obito left. But he had left behind wishes for her to get a normal life again, to make friends, and not worry so much over bringing back the dead: because _he_ was going to do it, he had a method that involved divine intervention. "[_Just you wait, Sakura. Trust me. I'll bring them all back for you.]"_

So Sakura stopped being a mad scientist bookworm and started coming home more often.

Her parents had opened a new business. She saw them three times a week, which was a lot compared to before.

Over time, gradually, too slowly for young mind to be certain about, over the span of years, she saw them twice a week. Once a week. Once a month.

Business trips, she learned the term when she was 10. She was used to it ever since she was a child, and she understood her parents had to go to foreign nations to do business.

Sometimes they were gone for two months. There was a gap in time when they were gone for half a year, BUT, she was also going on a lot of missions so she didn't notice. Especially that Wave mission. And when she returned to see her parents, it was all forgotten.

THEN they departed off again, and she hasn't seen them since.

Sakura didn't know it but she had a feeling she would never see them again or they wouldn't miss her. They wouldn't notice if she was missing for a month so she wouldn't leave a note.

**I think. It's because many shinobi snap from the pressure and kill their family members. It's happened many times. The less time they spend with you, the likelier they'll remain in one piece. Especially when they found out you're stronger than them. Especially when they found out you're on the same team as the Nine Tails Jinchuuriki, and got influenced by "it."**

Sakura wrapped her hands around her arms.

_Then why did mom and dad enroll me to become a ninja in the first place? ...I wanted to impress them. _

**Because shinobi families get a lot more honor and reputation than civilian families**. **By the time they realized, halfway into the year, that they'd enrolled their daughter into a school that trains _children into killers,_ it was already too late to back out. **

**Children who are enrolled in the Academy are legally bound to finish what they've started, or work in some form under the shinobi system such as being a messenger or mission assigner; its to keep ninja techniques from leaking out. Hence, shinobi aren't allowed to move to live in other villages, their home will permanently be Konoha. **

**On the contrary, civilians can move wherever they please. Your mom and dad probably moved somewhere with better business, but they couldn't take you with them because you're Konoha's shinobi, enrolled in the ninja roster. You can't just up and retire and move out of Konoha. **

**And, they probably thought their business was more important to move out for, than to remain behind for the sake of a mini-murderer. **

**Or perhaps they simply thought it was best to move out before you snap and become a second Itachi, after all, you are under the Kyuubi boy's influence. How much of Naruto's red chakra has leaked out and went inside your body and brain, hmmm? **

_Stop it, Inner. Don't say any more. _

Sakura was crying. She thought she was fortunate to have parents but when those same people feared her for being a ninja and stopped scolding her? She was selfishly glad they weren't around upon this discernment.

The pain of not having parents, the pain of losing parents, the pain of being hated by parents... Where did it all go wrong?

Sakura wiped her tears with her palms, ignoring the stinging pain in her eyes that tore at her skull. _Whatever. If anything, this means no more nagging and getting grounded. _

_I'm not such a masochist to miss the feeling of being punished._ Sakura dried her burning eyes._ If mom and dad are scared of me, I don't blame them anymore. I understand why now._

Sakura touched her Curse Mark, equally burning, though it might just be her impression. It wasn't impossible that she'd kill them while she was sleepwalking or whatever. She was clueless about how secure Kakashi's evil sealing technique was, or how effective her own willpower would be.

She let her hands drop to her sides, and walked across the corridor towards the bathroom. She finally saw how dusty the house has been, the cobble webs over the chair. She'd usually been to tired to notice, always falling straight into bed. It was very...scary.

She stepped into the bathroom, opened the sink, and noted with a sigh of relief that there was still running water.

Sakura washed and showered longer than usual, dried herself, and reached for Kakashi's ANBU uniform. Her feet stepped into his loose black pants which she tugged up, and her head went under the equally dark, form-fitting shirt. It barely suited her perfectly, because it belonged to Kakashi before he hit puberty and Sakura hit puberty last month. Sakura noted there was a black garment-mask.

**COOL, YOU CAN COSPLAY AS KAKASHI! Inner chanted, breaking the mood. **

Sakura blinked twenty times before shaking her head out of a trance. "Right!" She pulled the mask over her face, hiding all that's beneath the bridge nose. Sakura looked like Kid Kakashi, except with pink hair. This time she tied her hair up into an updo like Anko's.

Giving one last sigh, she stared into the mirror. Anthracite irises stared back. These weren't her eyes, and they matched her mask too well. It felt like she was looking at Kakashi. Sakura frowned. Did she deserve to wear Obito's goggles?

...

She didn't need them. The Sharingan was insensitive. Dirt, sand, tear gas, and wind couldn't faze these ancient eyes.

She looked down at the goggles in her hands, and sealed them up, along with her glasses, inside a tiny storage scroll with the Haruno crest (her "name") and attached it to the belt that came with the mini ANBU uniform. She also stored her medic equipment. In a larger scroll, she packed up her camping equipment meticulously.

Then Sakura took one last look behind her, before kicking the door open. The cold breeze hit her face as she stepped outside into the civilian district. Sakura looked at the crowds a bit nostalgically, and felt lost even though she was right in front of house. The place and land was purchased long ago and owned by her family, so there was no rent to pay. Sakura locked the door and sprinted back, weaving adeptly through the crowds to get to the designated meeting place with Kakashi-sensei.

Unbeknownst to her, a certain Uchiha smiled.

* * *

舛

* * *

"Sakura."

Sakura stopped, turning around. Seeing her Uchiha friend, she grinned and waved. "Sasuke!"

Sasuke paused, giving her a once over. His eye twitched as he stared at her ninja mask, and sighed, "Playing ANBU is a prank gone too far, meiwaku,"

"WHAT, NO!" Sakura exclaimed, "I wasn't-"

"I need your help," With the same dark eyes as her, Sasuke held eye contact with her. "You're the only one who can, Sakura." Sasuke grabbed her wrist and pulled her along to where he was going. "As of now, anyway."

Sakura followed after, Sasuke was like her cousin if she thought about it. They'd both suffered the loss of the Uchiha, and-

Sakura's eyes widened as Sasuke pushed her into the Uchiha district, into the abandoned clan compound.

It's been forever since she was last here; Sakura remembered moving Sasuke out to live in Naruto's apartment for "convenience's sake,"

_I'm getting a chain of memories..._

Sakura almost wanted to start over and cry again, reminded that she'd lost more than her own biological family. But it was weird, lately she's being more gloomy than before...

"Snap out of it and pay attention, meiwa," Sasuke chided. He'd led her to a secluded area, a very familiar, enormous edifice, with Uchiha symbols inside yellow stars, painted on the walls.

"That's the Konoha Military Police Force," Sasuke stated, and Sakura couldn't hold back a gasp. She faintly remembered she and Naruto getting caught by these police officers for pranks...though the old ladies always bailed her out by throwing tomatoes at the stoic police. (Those grandmas were probably the police's moms.) They didn't let Naruto out, though, just her.

Sakura peered at Sasuke suspiciously. _What are you thinking?_

As if reading her thoughts, Sasuke held up a hand to silence her. "I don't know what I'm doing yet, not until I read through all my father's documents myself. But in order for me to do that..."

Sasuke looked down, before returning his dark gaze at her.

"I need you to activate your Sharingan and unlock this security seal. Only the Uchiha from my father's police force could enter-" Sasuke hesitated, his pride must have been breaking. "The Sharingan is the only way to unseal this, I don't..."

Sakura bonked Sasuke over his head. "I get it! Also, Sharingan isn't an awesome thing, trust me." Sakura said, as she let her chakra flow to her eyes.

She could feel every single vein as her own, of course she modified the molecules of the eyes too, they were under her pinpoint control.

Scarlet eyes manifested and Sakura punched the door open with a bit of strength.

Sasuke's eyes momentarily widened, before he shut them and smirked. "You never cease to amaze me, Sakura."

He pushed her inside the building, there were multiple corridors, doors on each side of the hallways. "Unlock every single door, and then you're finished here."

Sakura smiled as she unsealed another lock. She watched Sasuke open a closet and pull out a KMP uniform and a Jounin Vest. It looked like something the Police Chief would wear.

"You're really going to restart your father's police force?" Sakura was dazzled.

"You're not the only one getting to wear clothes beyond your rank," Sasuke retorted.

Sakura took his as the affirmative. "So you _are_ restoring the clan." She grinned and gave him a thumbs up. "Good luck with that!"

"Pfft, you look like Kakashi revealing a couple terrified genin that they've passed his 'bell test.' Insincere as fuck." Sasuke teased. "Aren't you going to ask me how I plan on doing this?"

"How!" Sakura smiled.

A vicious smirk snaking across his face, Sasuke snickered. "Heh. You'll find out as soon as you get back from your training. As if I'd tell you when I can let your curiosity sit in your mind torturing you for a month." Sasuke's smirk was TOO wide, it was a twisted grin!

"CHA! SHANNARO! You're soooo evil!" Sakura accused, whining and jumping and then tackling him the floor.

"UGHN not THIS again!" They ended up in a wrestling match over the floor. Play fighting and rolling over each other like seven year olds again and pulling underhanded tactics like tickling, they were like _true_ siblings. And by the end of that, Sasuke had messed his hair and wrinkled his clothes and gained more scrapes and dirt over his skin and face. Sakura's new clothes and hair were dirtied and messed up too.

"Umm...we got carried away," Sakura confessed, before looking at him. "Okay, don't fail, and take care of Naruto! Tell him I love him too!" Sakura insisted. "Because love conquers all!"

"Hn. The dobe's probably already left the village." Sasuke said.

Sakura slumped. "So much for a team hug..." Sakura perked up again and dashed over and threw her arms around Sasuke, hugging him tightly.

"See ya, Sasu," she whispered mischievously before releasing him and disappearing in a cloud of scattered cherry blossoms instead of leaves.

Sasuke stared after her vanished form, his fingers twitching to grasp where she hugged him. "Cherry blossoms, really? You've probably practiced doing that in front of a mirror all day. Hn, typical."

He stepped inside the office, and sat down on the armchair, beginning his long process of paperwork.

And finally, Sasuke decided...Sakura was more of a sibling than Itachi would ever be. And he also thought his bond of hatred with Itachi, was nothing compared to _this_.

...

...The legacy that Uchiha Fugaku left behind.

* * *

END.

* * *

**Author Note**: I can't believe it, you're instant-reading this story! So, daily chapters, maybe? :3 

(I have a lenient workload this week, after thanksgiving.)

thanks for commenting :)


	68. Naruto's Deception

骗局

* * *

Naruto has never walked this direction before. He peered up at Jiraiya, took in his appearance of his fluffy white mane, red teardrops, red cloak over gray robes, and a giant scroll hung by his shoulder at his back.

The man reminded him of himself, a flamboyant facade that spurred others to give him attention and immediately underestimate him. They sauntered through the forest without saying a word to one another until Jiraiya noticed Naruto peeking backwards every now and then.

"Want to go home?" Jiraiya said without bothering to hide his contempt, miffed that wasn't being paid any attention by his late student's son or hoarded for techniques. He had expected Naruto to be all eager to learn from one of the Sannin, especially when he was one of the strongest. "It doesn't look like you're invested into getting any training from me."

Jiraiya had expected Naruto to turn around and apologize while shouting that he truly did want training from The One And Only Gallant Sage like himself but the blond merely stopped walking and stared up at him, seemingly unimpressed.

"I have a teammate named Sakura Haruno, bedridden and in critical state. I have no way of knowing whether she's recovered yet." Naruto spoke professionally, perhaps too formal unlike his usual slang towards Sakura and Sasuke. "If you've got nothing worthwhile to teach me and plan to dawdle around wasting my time, then I'd rather spend that time keeping watch over the wellbeing of my comrade." Naruto furrowed his eyebrows. He needed to speak seriously in order to be taken seriously, with slight threatening undertones. Thanks to Kurama, he knew Jiraiya was his father's mentor.

Naruto raised his voice. "I'll get straight to the point. What do you plan to teach me?"

Jiraiya spluttered. Then it all clicked. Naruto must have grown up alone, in a manner similar to Sunagakure's Jinchuuriki. Now that he thought about it, there was no doubt that the adults made sure to have their children avoid the boy; no one trusted the durability of a seal a man created at the last second upon his dying breath, Hokage or not. Like the Kazekage's son, Naruto could even be possessed by the strongest Bijuu if the seal weakened. Perhaps with all the distrust surrounding the young boy, he became cold, serious, and quiet. Jiraiya decided he would pull that stick out his ass eventually, just like how he exposed Minato to the glories of his "research."

Jiraiya thought long and hard before remembering the technique his own student taught him. Minato's Ransengan. He held out his hand and gathered pure chakra into a spiraling sphere, and crouched down, showing it to Naruto's face. The wind blew around the Rasengan, and Jiraiya grinned.

"I can teach you this!" Jiraiya slammed the Rasengan towards a tree and it imploded. "It's called the Rasengan!" Jiraiya stated proudly.

Naruto stared blankly, before blinking quickly. _Screw this teacher! _"I don't need that."

"What?"

"I've already got a lot of raw power, more power than anyone in the village," Naruto explained darkly, "And I've learned...power isn't everything..."

Jiraiya was confused. _He knows about the Kyuubi? _"Don't you want to learn a super powerful jutsu and become extremely strong? You know, for your Chuunin Exams."

"Like I said, I'm already strong," Naruto repeated, his bright blue eyes adapting a dark look. "But power can't always save your friends."

Jiraiya was about to protest, but Naruto's next words paused him: "Can the Rasengan defeat Orochimaru?"

Jiraiya's silence was answer enough.

"Exactly." Naruto ran his fingers through his yellow locks as they resumed the walk, exiting the other end of the forest.

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. "Look, brat, Orochimaru is an entirely different factor. He's stronger than your sensei Kakashi, he's on _my _level, one of the Sannin. You won't always face top tier opponents like him, there will be weaker ones that you need power to defeat."

They stopped across a giant crevice that opened to the bottom of a river which was ten miles down.

Naruto huffed, not happy about being called a brat but he recalled Sakura talking about Jiraiya being the author of Kakashi's Icha Icha novels, and Kakashi talking about Jiraiya with great reverie. Said something about treating the Toad Sennin with respect. But what was there to "respect" if he was already strong? He barely knew this stranger and only agreed to tag along with the Sennin, in order to give Kakashi an excuse to focus entirely on Sakura.

"Ero-Sennin," Naruto retorted, "Trust me, I have more than enough power." With his tumb, he pointed at his gut, and Jiraiya got the message.

"But...you can't control it, can you?"

"I can."

"WHAT?!" Jiraiya's eyes bulged out, "How?!"

**DON'T TELL HIM. **Kurama growled. **Do not dare speak to anyone about our compromise. Humans are always suspicious and untrustworthy, he will not hesitate to imprison you, believe you to be possessed by Me. **

_Is there anyone around? _Naruto mentally asked.

Kurama expanded his senses. **No. Only you and this White Monster within this vicinity. What are you planning? **

"Pervy Sage, do you have anything else to teach me or are those the only things?" Naruto deferred. " I've got the Kyuubi under my complete control, so I don't need any super moves or have any desire to control what I'm already perfect with."

Jiraiya stared, speechless. If he had any doubt or disbelief on his face, he did not show it, for he kept his face carefully guarded. Not knowing what to say or too careful to risk saying the wrong words, Jiraiya summoned another toad. The toad coughed out a giant scroll and unrolling it before the boy. It was the Toad Contract.

Naruto crouched down and stared at it. Or rather, he stared at the kanji and the symbols drawn at the corners and edges of the seal. Another full two minutes passed before Jiraiya said, "Sign it in your blood."

Naruto's eyes trailed down and he recognized the words Namikaze Minato, the previous bearer of the scroll. He moved his thumb to one of his sharper teeth, bit, and messily scribbled Uzumaki Naruto on the empty column.

Naruto stared.

Jiraiya smiled. "Alright, Naruto, I want you to prove your self-proclaimed chakra control," he said with slight sarcasm.

"Watch carefully." The Sannin made the hand signs: Boar → Dog → Bird → Monkey → Ram, before slamming his palm to the ground and purposely summoning a plump toad. "Now, I expect a toad ten times the size of this. Use all the Kyuubi chakra you have!" Jiraiya felt weird uttering the word Kyuubi but he wasn't exposing anything new.

Naruto faked a yawn. "This stuff is so boring and unoriginal. I mean, toads and rasengans, really? You really don't have something else to teach? Then I'd like access to my dad's stuff!"

Jiraiya groaned. "Naruto!" He suddenly froze. "Your dad...You...know?"

Naruto looked at the man like he was an idiot. "Do you take me for a fool? I did my research and connected the facts together, 'ttebayo!"

Naruto crossed his arms. "Besides, like I said, ever since I found out the Kyuubi was contained by a mere seal, I've always been interested in fuuinjutsu."

Kurama nodded, a demonic grin of sharp teeth on his maws. **Good, Naruto. Eat up all the knowledge Jiraiya has on fuuinjutsu. Then one day, when it's time for my freedom, it's not at the cost of your own life. BWAHAHAHAAHAH- **

"Fuuinjutsu is extremely complicated, especially your father's work," Jiraiya said, scratching the back of his head. "But it's not impossible that you have the IQ to do it..."

Naruto blinked, inwardly relieved that he didn't show off his prankster/informal side right off the bat. Now Jiraiya was actually taking him seriously!

"That is, if you're intelligent enough to formulate the correct ratios with your own chakra and the Kyuubi's, to control such tremendous power. Summon the largest toad you can, and if it's large enough, it's a promise."

_Kuso! I forgot the hand signs! _

**Boar. Dog. Bird. Monkey. Ram. **Kurama sneered. **BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU DON'T NEED THEM. HAVE SOME OF MY CHAKRA, WORK WITH ME AND I WILL GUIDE IT WITH YOU. **

Naruto slammed his hand against the ground. Steam fogged up the field like clouds, but the top of an orange head and yellow eyes peeked up from the top.

Naruto had summoned a toad fifteen times taller than Jiraiya and thirty times wider, none other than the chief toad of Mount Myōboku.

On his first try.

Such was the power of teamwork, Naruto and Kurama mentally fistbumped each other as Jiraiya almost fainted.

The cloud evaporated revealing about a hundred smaller toads hopping around and complaining about being summoned for no reason, but the Chief known as Gamabunta roared the loudest.

"JIRAIIIIIIYAAAAAAA!"

"I didn't think that would happen!" Jiraiya panicked! He really couldn't deal with Gamabunta's rage right now, that Toad was going to stomp him! Jiraiya itched to summon another toad for an escape but the majority were all here. He used his chakra and body flickered, vanishing into an escape route. _To give Gamabunta time to cool off- I mean- to give Naruto some bonding time with the Chief Toad.. _

By the time he returned, Naruto and all the toads were no where to be found.

* * *

骗局

* * *

"I'm getting too old for this," Kakashi panted. His right hand behind his back, he used his sole left hand to climb the last leg of the canyon. One wrong move, one miscalculation in balance or physics, one slip in chakra control, would send him toppling thousands of feet down.

Flipping himself over and grasping the edge of the desert mountain, Kakashi's eyes burned from the gleam of the sun, but a shadow spared him as a blurry silhouette appeared.

The bright sun shining behind her darkened her form, creating the impression of someone ethereal, her two large Sharingan glowing divine and deadly.

He would have fallen off then and there, but the pink edges of hair made him lower all his guard, and when she crouched down, extending a hand out for him to take.

Kakashi grasped her hand, and pulled himself over. Landing on top of the flat plane surface, he looked at the clouds drifting around them.

The weather was perfect.

* * *

-骗局

* * *

Meanwhile, Uchiha Sasuke has just completed another thousand reams of paperwork.

"Found you," a newcomer has arrived.

Sasuke tilted his head to eye Ebisu, before turning his eyes down to the paperwork.

"Hn. Go away."

* * *

骗局

* * *

**A/N**: Naruto's actually a good actor, or is he?

but what do you think happened here? what happens next?

*Looks at time* oh crap it's 1:00A.M, good night!


	69. Chapter 69

证件

* * *

The toads were indeed having a grand party. Naruto couldn't have summoned them at a better time.

The toads weren't celebrating anything in particular, they just wanted an excuse to celebrate something and drink beer. So they harried down each toad until one toad confessed it was their birthday (probably.)

"LET'S CELEBRATE YOUR BIRTHDAY!"

All the toads settled down outside with the mushroom tables, amazing waterfall hot springs, and started serving nutritious insects, bugs, and lots of sake.

Some of them jumped into the hot springs and started bathing and relaxing. Others drank toad sake and sang and hollered. Jiraiya-boy had informed them that he'd be gone for the month, which meant there wasn't going to be any infiltration missions for them nor would Jiraiya enter the summoning realm, so the toads immediately latched onto the chance to get drunk and kick back. Their reason was that it was Gamakichi's birthday.

So imagine their surprise when all one hundred of them were summoned simultaneously out into the cold, wet forest.

Most of them didn't even get the time to put their clothes back on!

Gamabunta was naturally mad.

* * *

"JIIIIIRAAAAIIIIIIIYAAAAA!" Gamabunta roared, too drunk to pinpoint Jiraiya with his crossed eyes.

All the smaller toads squabbled indignantly. "What's the big idea?!"

"That Jiraiya boy lied he'd leave us alone for one month!"

"Why are we all here?!"

"Are y'all sure we got summoned 'cos it ain't possible to summon us all at once! Maybe our home got wiped out!"

All the toads panicked and leapt up and down.

Naruto gaped at the sight of talking toads jumping around the Boss Toad, whose head he was currently standing on.

Those toads were making squirts and screaming noises, until Gamabunta roared, "YOU DIM WITS! YOU THINK MOUNt MYOBOKU WOULD SUDDENLY VANISH OFF THE FACE OF THIS WORLD?!" All the birds flew off. Kurama had layered Naruto's ears with safety chakra.

Everyone went quiet and the blond took the chance to get his message across.

Naruto turned around and walked in front of the Chief Toad's giant eye. Placing a hand on his hip, he leaned down at its huge pupil and waved his other hand, sporting his trademark grin. "Yo! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, dattebayo!"

"M-Minato?" Gamabunta's vision was blurry. "Guys, it's Minato!"

Naruto blinked, and suddenly the cries of panic from the toads suddenly went silent, before they transformed into cries of joy.

"MINA-BOY, it's been a DECADE!" A toad yelled.

Another toad jumped up and waved its webbed feet. "MINATO-KUN, STOP BY SOMETIMES!"

"Gamachichi misses ya!" It was like all the toads had forgotten their home was possibly destroyed. "Ya needa visit!"

"MINATO-BOY, EVERYONE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!"

Naruto gaped. "I'm not-"

**Forget it, they're all drunk. **

"Come, have a Sake!" Gamabunta laughed, vibrations shaking Naruto off balance. "You missed the anniversaries of the day you signed our contract!"

All the toads were shivering cold, though.

"Boss!" Gamakichi said, "Most of us are naked and we shouldn't be celebrating out in the middle of some freezing, wet forest! We're toads, not frogs!"

"BWAHAHAHH!" Gamabunta guffawed. "Then let's all go back! Come, 'Nato-boy! We've missed out twelve years of yer life! It's time to catch up!"

With that, all the toads vanished, the smoke enough to fill the entire forest. The fog would remain for days.

* * *

"By the way, I'm Minato's son." Naruto eventually corrected them. He unknowingly got a taste of what Sakura went through.

* * *

Naruto's eyes absorbed every sight he saw. He was at an oasis! Lining in a neat row were huts made of mud, which he could barely fit himself inside, and the place was like a miniature town!

The toads lived on a special Mountain with warm weather and beautiful, exotic scenery. It was their own summon realm, and there were hot springs and lots of food and buildings of red, orange, green, and brown.

Naruto was excited as he ran around, then he followed the rest of the toads to a giant clearing full of giant mushroom tables, grass, and insect barbecue...and Sake.

"Wow...I never imagined this type of place exists!" Naruto remarked. "Heck, I didn't even know frogs could talk or that there are giant ones!"

Then Naruto remembered Orochimaru's giant snakes and scratched that thought. But then he realized, Gamabunta was just as large as Orochimaru's snakes!

_Dattebayo, I hit jackpot. Toads are something that can hold a chance against Orochimaru. _

Naruto looked at the toads in new light and amazement. Not only that, but his father was friends with these toads! These toads knew his father personally, maybe they could tell him more about his parents! After all, Kurama's descriptions were always extremely biased and laced with hatred and insults- not exactly an ideal primary source of information.

"Come, have a seat!" One of the large toads, the same height as him, beckoned Naruto over.

"Alright!" Naruto sprinted over and jumped to sit at the giant, round mushroom table surrounded by twenty other toads of various sizes. "Man, you toads sure are nice! Back at school _everyone_ was either mean to me or ignored me except Sakura-chan and Iruka-sensei!" Naruto grinned, but then pouted and scrunching his eyebrows, reluctantly added, "And Sasuke-teme...he shows his kindness by acting mean." _Man, I sugarcoated that heavily. _

"Wait, 'Nato, so in the Academy only three people were nice to ya?" A small orange toad squawked. By now, most of the toads have sobered up. But some of them couldn't decide whether the blond human was "Minato" or "Naruto," so they went with 'Nato.

An old toad rolled its eyes.

An old lady toad, Shima, placed a dish of top-class insects in front of Naruto, making all the other toads drool enviously.

"Err, yeah," Naruto went green at the sight of the multi-legged bugs. _Gross! _

"Yer so lucky, those are this month's premiums!" A young toad, whose name Naruto forgot, pointed. Naruto was officially bad at names.

Naruto took a look at how nice those toads are, to offer him something they so clearly valued. Even if he wasn't a fan of eating bugs, he couldn't help but feel touched.

Naruto picked up a blue bug and ate it. He felt a very safe, comfortable feeling inside him, and the bug tasted like the beef from his ramen. Naruto munched on the other bugs.

Gamabunta came over, carrying a giant bottle of sake. "'Sup, 'Nato! Here, have some!" He smashed the giant bottle to the ground. A small toad snatched its small cup, jumped up and dove into the sake bottle, and jumped back out and placed the cup in front of Naruto. It had sake in it.

Naruto looked into the cup, the liquid was transparent like water but it emitted a strong odor. He also realized he was feeling thirsty.

All the toads within a fifty meter radius, and the ones surrounding the mushroom table, and Gamabunta, held up their cups of sake.

"A toast! To Naruto Uzumaki!" "Minato Namikaze!" "Naruto and Minato!" Our most trusted summoner!"

One could tell there was some definite confusion there. For the century old toads, one decade passed like a mere second, and their vision was bad, so they believed him to be Minato. Others were too senile to remember a new name so their memories only supplied them with Minato's name. Most who remembered the fact that Naruto was Minato's son respected him and treated him well.

All the toads gathered around cheering Naruto's name and at that moment, Naruto felt like a Hokage. He'd never had a crowd cheer him on before. He'd assumed he'd have to prove himself first, but these toads were rooting for him simply because they knew him!

"And a toast, to my new friends!" Naruto raised his cup and the toads did the same and drank. Naruto only took one gulp before wanting to puke. Sake tasted nasty and bitter! Not to mention, he was probably underage! Then again, it wasn't like he had any parents to care, and the toads were OK with it.

"Naruto, eh? I am Fukusaku," An elderly toad with a white beard muttered, "It was you summoned us."

"Yeah," Naruto answered, setting down his cup. He hiccuped, but he wasn't gonna take another gulp of that liquor. "Ero Sennin wanted me to prove that I had absolute control over the Nine Tails' chakra, so he told me to summon the largest toad I can. And I did," Naruto pointed up at Gamabunta who snorted.

"Kid you've got some impressive skills,"

"So you're already strong, an S rank ninja who controls its Bijuu! That's unheard of before!"

"No, there's one in Kumo too. Killer Bee."

Naruto listened vigilantly as the toads discussed the classified secrets of other villages that Jiraiya amassed. This was way more interesting than the boring history lessons that Iruka taught at the Academy, or even Sakura's helpful lectures!

"So what are you going to train in, if you don't want to get any stronger than you already are?" Gamatatsu asked.

Naruto grinned. "It's not because I'm already extremely strong that I don't want to hone more raw, physical power. It's because I want to train in something more productive towards saving my friends!" Naruto gesticulated wildly. "If my arms aren't good enough, I'll use my legs. If my legs aren't helpful, I'll use my teeth! If that doesn't work, I'll use my eyes! It's just logic! So what if I'm strong if that strength doesn't save my friends from Orochimaru? I need to learn something useful, like fuuinjutsu! It's my only chance! I don't give a turd about beating Gaara when Sakura-chan's in trouble!"

All the toads stared in amazement before they erupted into cheers. Naruto's blue eyes grew wet with tears, touched that everyone was supporting him, until one of the senior toads, Gerotora, crawled over and put a webbed foot on his shoulder. "Naruto, our leader wants to see you."

Naruto gulped. _Kuso. Am I in trouble? _

A lot of other toads slapped their webbed feet at his back and told him that they'll follow him but linger at the back, at least twenty feet away. For support.

So Naruto followed an elderly toad that decided to take the lead.

* * *

证件

* * *

The Honorable Geezer squinted his eyes at Naruto and said, "You...At your age, it's too soon to tell you my prophecy, hmmmm?"

Naruto looked around and saw a lot of toad statues. It was a huge palace. And the giant honorable geezer toad whose real name was Gamamaru was almost ten times larger than the Chief Toad.

"So why did you wanna see me?" Naruto asked, rubbing his neck shyly, noting that this toad was practically the only one he _didn't_ summon back at the forest.

No response.

Naruto waited two minutes impatiently because The Honorable Geezer fell asleep on him. Naruto walked over and poked The Honorable Geezer awake with his finger, and all the toad guards tensed up, about to attack Naruto, before Gamamaru's words halted them:

"All of us inhabitants of Mount Myoboku must trust you." Gamamaru hummed. "It is years too early to say the reason why, for you are too young, but my prophecy dictates that the overall _good_ of us will come out of supporting you, Naruto Uzumaki."

Gamamaru peered an eye at Fukusaku and Shimaand shared a knowing look with them. Then he went back to snoring.

Naruto wiped at his eyes and smiled. "Thank you, oyajii!"

All the toads outside the palace stifled gasps.

* * *

证件

* * *

Naruto walked with the toads over to an isolated hut at the corner of the toad town. It was large enough to be a small comfy home for one human, and the chairs inside were small, but large enough for a human to sit on. Naruto crawled inside the hut with some smaller toads.

"What's this place?" Naruto asked, eyeing the shelves and tables and floors, all with scattered notes and scrolls of intricate, swirly designs.

"You said you wanted to learn fuuinjutsu, right?" Fukusaku said eagerly, "This is the place where Minato-boy kept all his notes. It's the safest place, because if he kept them locked up in Konoha, they would be stolen."

Shima chortled. "He leeched most of them off his wife."

Naruto was already sat behind the paper, his hands going through the paperwork, reading through them. A lot of it made his head churn in confusion, but he was already adept at seals in the first place. Sakura had taught him many of the mathematical, geometrical and logical concepts at the Academy, and it wasn't just booksmarts that got him through. Naruto felt a connection with the art of fuuinjutsu, as if it were his native language.

"Be careful," Fukusaku said. "Don't try anything too dangerous and end up getting yourself killed."

Naruto shrugged, "That's why I'm gonna use my shadow clones."

Fukusaku snorted. "If you've got any questions, you should ask Gerotora, he's one of our fuuinjutsu toads who manages the summoning technique." Fukusaku took Shima's arm and leapt out the opening of the hut, leaving him alone.

Naruto grabbed one of the papers and read it:

_"Dear Kushina: I love you, your scarlet red hair, I'm eating bugs, I'm creating a new jutsu called Soul God Sacrificing Invincible Being Whirling Tide Jutsu, arigato, you're the best, Love, Minato." _

Naruto sweatdropped...Okay, he was probably invading his father's stuff, but he'll just keep out of his private mails. Naruto was pretty sure Minato wouldn't mind letting him learn some Uzumaki Fuuinjutsu and...

Naruto jumped up to a shelf and took out a scroll and began reading. There were so many numbers and physics, he almost panicked.

But there were motivational words written in red ink scribbled beside the dimensional concepts: _"Escape technique!" "Become Hokage!" "End the war!" "Save lives!" "Cheat death!" "Teleport!" "CHEAT!" _

Naruto began reading from the beginning of the scroll.

It wasn't an instructional scroll teaching him how to use the Flying Thunder God, but showing him his father's process of inventing it.

Naruto chanced a glance and saw thousands of pages, reams of scrolls.

"What have I gotten myself into..." He fell down on his butt, feeling doomed. "It's gonna be a long month."

And that night, Uzumaki Naruto experienced the same feeling as Uchiha Sasuke. _Sakura-chan is so lucky, she's the only one of us to end up not doing paperwork and doing some real physical training, ughhh...I'm gonna need to get in contact with Sasuke-teme. We can have a paperwork race! Or I'm gonna fall asleep. I need to beat Sasuke-teme on who finishes more paperwork per night! _

He stuck a head out the hut and called, "YO! Can any one of you guys go pay Sasuke a visit!? We've got a new competition!"

Gamabunta roared, "SURE-"

"NAW, NO WAY! Not you! The tiniest toad who lives here!" Naruto shouted.

A one-millimeter sized, yellow toad hopped its way over to Naruto. "I'll do it."

Naruto grinned.

* * *

证件

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke opened his eyes. He'd fallen asleep on his chair. He was losing motivation. Should he really be doing this? Hn.

Suddenly, a yellow dot appeared in front of his paper with a poof of smoke.

"NARUTO HAS FINISHED 1000 PAGES IN THE LAST FOUR HOURS!"

Sasuke facepalmed. "Damn you, usuratonkachi."

* * *

证件


	70. Konoha Military Police Force

O

* * *

"Look, Honorable Uchiha, you have to let me train you." Ebisu demanded, "I made a promise to Kakashi!"

"Hmph. Why should I waste my time on an outsider like you?" Sasuke retorted, "What makes you worthy of being inside this very building?"

"Such arrogance!" Ebisu blurted out.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "You barge inside private _Uchiha_ property, obstruct my official duties, threaten me, a Police official. Your actions are worth a minimum sentence of 7 years in prison; are you trying to get arrested, Ebisu-san?"

Ebisu spluttered, flinging his arms over his head. "The Konoha Police Force was abolished six years ago!"

"Not quite," Sasuke denied. "My father left all clan rights to me as soon as he began losing trust in Itachi. Presumably, he didn't expect my older brother to kill him, but in his documents, he signed that I was to become the new head of Uchiha, and new head of the Police Force. Furthermore, seeing as Itachi is no longer a shinobi of Konoha, this birthright belongs to me."

He allowed a smug smirk. "The Uchiha Military Police was authorized by the 2nd Hokage and has been in power for generations. It ended not because of a change in laws, but because of a massacre. _However, I am still alive._"

Ebisu looked at the piles upon piles of paperwork surrounding Sasuke's desk. It occurred to his mind that the honorable Uchiha was still a child, and yet, he was trying to revive his clan's legacy. Ebisu pushed up his glasses, ashamed of himself for disturbing the last Uchiha. He didn't even think the Police Force would work out, there was only 1 Uchiha clan member in Konoha, after all, but he decided to keep quiet and leave Sasuke to his own devices. But then thoughts of Kakashi burst into his mind, and fear of torture.

Ebisu shouted, "I can't _not_ train you! How about you just set aside your police duties for after the finals?! You need to be prepared!"

Sasuke waved a hand flippantly. "My opponent's a Yamanaka. Unless you specialize in mind control or have Intel about them, leave me alone."

Even if Ebisu did know about Yamanaka, those were classified secrets he had no right to utter.

And so Ebisu slumped, crestfallen. He was doomed, he was going to dishonor a promise to the Copy Ninja.

"On second thought, Ebisu,"

Ebisu perked his head up to see Sasuke interlace his fingers underneath his chin as he stared straight into the S-Jounin's eyes.

"How about you join the Uchiha Military Police Force as one of my first officers?" Sasuke offered tantalizingly with a smirk.

"What?!" Ebisu was beyond shocked.

"You'll never become anything more than a private tutor," Sasuke criticized acerbically. "You're not strong enough to make Jounin, you don't take missions outside of the village, you don't have any particular skills besides the basics...and you're too good to be wasted on a low tier job such as an Academy teacher. And yet," Sasuke snorted condescendingly. "You still ended up a glorified babysitter."

"I-It's not babysitting- I am teaching the next gen-"

"You are wasting your skills on tutoring an ungrateful, spoiled toddler when you could be out there, preventing crimes and saving lives- within Konoha." Sasuke grandiosely waved out the window where it overlooked the village. "In fact, you would be saving the time of the ANBU who've overtaken Uchiha duties, allowing them to take on more high-risk S-rank missions for the sake of this village."

It occurred to him that the ANBU were indeed wasting their resources on civilian related crimes.

"You are wasting your life, Ebisu-san." Sasuke's voice and eyes softened. "I understand you were the weak link of your team. Believe me, I am no stronger than Naruto or Sakura.

"But here I am, as the new Head of the Konoha Military Police Force, offering you an opportunity to become something more. And what child of the Leaf hasn't dreamed of becoming a noble police officer?"

Ebisu could faintly remember his childhood years, in which his sole dream was to become a police officer, but alas, he wasn't an Uchiha. He never imagined he'd be offered a job at the police force, in such a manner, by a 13 year old child- _no._ He remembered rumors of Uchiha Itachi making ANBU Captain at age 13. It wasn't unfeasible for the younger brother to accomplish something similar.

He removed his black glasses, inclined his head, and bowed.

"Thank you for this opportunity, Honorable Uchiha."

It was funny, Sasuke noted, how initially the words Honorable Uchiha were pronounced in the same tone as Honorable Grandson. But now, those same words seemed to hold genuine awe and respect.

He was not respected because of his status as the Last Uchiha, but because he was the Chief of Police.

Sasuke closed his eyes, hunching over his father's desk, shoulders shaking as he laughed. The Uchiha sway was a powerful thing,

"Raise your head, Ebisu-kun. We have much to do." Sasuke uncurled his slender fingers. He pulled open a drawer, took out a scroll, and tossed it to the S-Jounin.

"Listed in the scroll are your new duties, and the assignments I've tasked you with for the month," Sasuke stood up from his office chair. He walked over to the closet, grabbed his father's Police Chief uniform, and pulled it on. It didn't quite fit but whatever.

"I need you to post flyers all over the village; that the Konoha Police Force is being revived, and the Uchiha...and do inform the Hokage for me, I'm too busy to see him myself."

* * *

O

* * *

Civilians and shinobi alike crowded around the recruitment stand of the Police Force. Sasuke handed out applications for people who wanted to join the Military Police Force, or the Uchiha clan.

There were benefits to joining the Uchiha clan. For one thing, they get a free house in the old compound, they become officially from a noble shinobi clan, etc. All the clanless ninjas attempted to join the Uchiha clan. But one of the requirements for that, is to join the Police Force.

And they had to be in top physical condition in order to join the Police Force.

And so, myriads of shinobi joined.

* * *

O

* * *

A certain buff ex-criminal approached Sasuke's registration stand.

Sasuke gazed up from his paperwork and couldn't help but smirk. "Look who's here, Zabuza Momochi."

Zabuza chuckled. "I want to see how it's like to be an Uchiha." Zabuza whistled, his eyes looking down the compound. "And I take that we don't have to pay any rent to live in one of those big houses, right?"

Sasuke leaned back, "That's right, and you need to serve a term of four years, unless I fire you."

"Hn. I've discovered how wealthy I am, since the entire Uchiha estate now belongs to me."

Zabuza leaned in, excited at the prospect of money.

"You'll get paid the amount any _Uchiha_ deserves."

Zabuza grinned, his eyes outright greedy. "You'll accept Haku too."

Haku trailed up behind his senpai, already filling out his own application.

Sasuke nodded slowly, "Of course, Haku Uchiha." His midnight eyes sliced towards the former Mist shinobi, "and Zabuza Momochi Uchiha. Your orientations begin next week."

That day, the Uchiha population went up by a hundred.

* * *

o

* * *

It was time for a Council meeting. All the clan heads sat down at their seats at the left of the Courtroom, while the civilian district leaders sat at their own section at the right.

The Hokage, followed by his councilmen Homura, Koharu, and Danzo, arrived to take their seats at the center, noting the high amount of whispering between his fellow shinobi leaders and civilians.

Sarutobi gasped at seeing Sasuke sitting in the late Uchiha Fugaku's seat. The chair had an Uchiha crest on it and was left vacant for half a decade. It was also at its own separate section away from the other ninja clan leaders.

Sasuke was actually sitting in the same section as the current Jounin Commander, Shikaku Nara, and a masked ANBU Commander.

"What are you doing here?" Sandaime Hokage blurted, completely shocked, his face paling. Sasuke was wearing his father's clothes, evoking many memories of betrayal and bloodshed. It could not be...

"Isn't it obvious?" Sasuke's voice dripped of sarcasm. "All of you are wise shinobi. There is no need for me to explain why I belong in these proceedings as much as the other clan leaders do."

Everyone went silent. Sarutobi was at a loss for words, and Danzo narrowed his single eye onto the boy.

"Besides," Sasuke held up the officially stamped documents. "From the founding of this village, the police force does not have an expiration date. We merely _paused_ because we were low on members, but now, the Uchiha are back."

It was clear that Sasuke had exploited the privileges of his reputation and money, and adopted enough people into his family for it to be considered a full clan once again. There was no room for dispute, the slippery Uchiha had shamelessly exploited the loopholes in shinobi law.

Sasuke felt a murderous chill over his spine, and tilted his head to stare back at Danzo defiantly. He did not know what Councilman Shimura Danzo was seeing in him. _Perhaps the ghost of my father? I wouldn't be surprised that tou-san made few enemies while he was in power._

Neither of them broke eye contact.

* * *

"Silence!" Sarutobi shouted. He had already heard the news about Sasuke restoring the police force from Ebisu when the private tutor handed in his resignation letter. While Sarutobi was pissed that his grandson's lost a tutor, he found Sasuke's attempts amusing and approved it because the police were convenient and saved his ANBU more time to take on more missions.

What the Sandaime did not expect, was Sasuke showing up at the Council meetings and acting like the Head of the Police, as if the genin held the same status as the ANBU and Jounin Commanders.

Now that, was making him lose face. And if Sasuke kept attending these meetings, especially when the Daimyos showed up, it would humiliate Konoha even further.

Given how large the Uchiha clan has grown overnight, it was too late to stop him without pissing off over a hundred, skilled shinobi.

_ Konoha is doomed_, Sarutobi realized forlornly. _Especially because Sasuke-kun is too young and inexperienced to know the workings of politics._

He noted that Danzo and Sasuke were still giving each other death glares.

"Silence! We've delayed long enough! We shall begin this meeting immediately."

And then the council meeting began.

* * *

o

* * *

At the end everyone had left except Sasuke, the Hokage and his advisors.

"What do you want?" Sasuke sounded annoyed, "I have work to do."

"Danzo, Homura, and Koharu may take you on as an apprentice," Hiruzen said, his eyes carefully blank. "With the duties of your new position, I strongly recommend you acquaint with one of my advisors. I am as busy as you are with paperwork, of course, so I can't be your personal mentor. You will still see me often, because I am the Hokage and you are..."

"Head of the Police Force."

"Right..." Hiruzen said reluctantly.

Danzo stepped up. "If you do not become my apprentice, I will strip you of your status, for Konoha's sake."

Sasuke noticed that Danzo liked using that phrase, and also that he was being overly blunt.

Sasuke nodded. "I appreciate the 'offer.' If you allow me access to security information, and the resources necessary for me to uphold Order in Konoha, I'll accept it. A word of advice, Danzo. Control your threats." Sasuke turned his gaze directly at Danzo, challengingly. "Do not forget who I am."

Danzo walked closer, and glared down at Sasuke. "Very well then, Sasuke-kun."

"Hn." With a final stare at the elders, Sasuke vanished.

And Danzo let out a breath through his nose, clutching his cane until it cracked. He had not felt this much concern ever since the Uchiha Massacre, and he knew Sarutobi and his teammates shared the same opinion as him.

_This boy is probably...sharper than Itachi._

* * *

o

* * *

**Author Note**: this should be enough, we get what Naruto and Sasuke are up to. From now on, everything shifts back to Sakura's point of view (my favorite.)

thanks for commenting! :)


	71. Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Thanks!

**Author Note:** 12/25/2015. Merry Christmas! I hope you're enjoying your holiday breaks (a.k.a. relaxing/sleeping.) And, thanks to all the other writers on this website who updated their stories today! It's my special day off and I read a few of them :)

To my readers, THANK YOU for waiting for this chapter! Please leave a comment afterwards. And uhh, in case I don't update within a week: Happy New Year too! (Can't believe it, 1/1/2016 coming up already...)

* * *

闪电

* * *

闪电

* * *

Sakura awaited alone.

Behind the Hokage Monument, there were hundreds of miles of rocky mountains, ravines, gullies, buttes, mesas, hoodoos, and more misshapen dry terrains that were near impossible to navigate on foot without chakra. Luckily, chakra control was never a problem for her.

Sakura Haruno stood upon the edge of the cliff on the desert-like canyon, overlooking the bright clays and red scoria badlands, and further to the horizon began the fluffs of green indicating the treelines spanning over the forests of the Land of Fire.

The skies were clear blue like Naruto's eyes, but most of it were engulfed by clouds the silver shades of Kakashi's hair. She could see some of the clouds floating _below_ her. It was cold and the icy wind blew at her clothes and face, and she wondered why Kakashi didn't give her that ANBU cat mask- before noticing the black cloth covering up to her nose, shielding her lips and nostrils, ears and neck. She probably looked like a mini-Kakashi.

Her pink hair blew wildly behind her as she activated the Sharingan, detecting a familiar silver chakra approaching. Leaning over, she peered down to see her Sensei perform aerobics with breathtaking skill leagues beyond her talent.

Sakura held out her hand, feeling Kakashi-sensei grab it. His weight was triple hers, Sakura augmented chakra to the soles of her feet and some of her muscles, and pulled him up.

Kakashi landed in front of her with a flip and sighed like he was only doing so to take a deep breath of the fresh air. His eye slanted lazily as he placed a hand behind his spiked gray-white hair.

"Mah, Sakura-kun looks like an ANBU, how scary~"

"Eep! Don't call me 'Saku-ku-...!'" Her mask hid the redness in her face but did not hide her anger as she raised her fist before a mischievous smile slipped on. Sakura punched the ground, where Kakashi was standing at its edge. A single crack formed, chipping off the edge of the rock.

"Whoa!" Kakashi's eyes widened. If he fell it would be a long way back up and his survival instinct surged through his reflexes. He kicked off the rock mid-fall and landed behind Sakura's crouched form. The surprised panting of his breath did not go unheard by her listening ears.

Sakura smirked and buckled over, "Haahahahh!" **Cha! We got him back!**

Kakashi sweatdropped. "It's going to be a long training session."

* * *

闪电

* * *

With the tense atmospheric conditions thousands of meters above sea level and the desert wind blowing into her eyes, these Sharingan felt _dry _and _itchy_.

Sakura knew not to rub her eyes with her hands when they itched or germs will get inside and worsen the irritation. It was better to apply eyedrops or rinse them with plain clean water. Luckily, she had mixed up and administered her own drugs with her extensive medical knowledge, so Sakura took out her eyedrop bottle and leaned her head backwards. She dripped the liquid into her eye, blinking rapidly to get it out. Her vision went black as the liquid went into her eyes, and the itching stopped. Her eyes felt cleaner and clearer, and less foreign.

_Obito..._

Sakura perked up and looked at Kakashi-sensei, their eyes meeting briefly. She almost missed the way his breath hitched or the uncontrollable turmoil inside his widened mismatched eyes and furrowed brows, and for a split second, he looked like he was going to cry.

That vulnerable face was gone as soon as he broke eye contact, when Kakashi tilted his head towards the starlit night sky.

But Sakura wasn't going to dismiss things so easily. She squinted her eyes through the starry-illuminated darkness and watched the slightest trembling of his gloved hands. If she wasn't imagining all that, then it could have been from the cold. But when Sensei looked so much like Obito-kun during the night of the Massacre, Sakura remembered just _who_ was her first ever bond, just _who_ made so many promises to her that made this world appear worth living in.

Sakura had always placed an emphasis on following the ninja rules like a good student- she memorized all hundred of them by heart and could recite any of them word-for-word, but then the ghost of Obito came by and flipped it all upside down. She never understood it because her bonds were never deep, but as she started trusting him she understood...what it was like to have a friend who truly _cared_ and did good things for you. Obito had ensured that she would never be used as a tool. He trained her, and mentored her, and taught her that the lives of her friends were worth more than following any rules and regulations. Obito was worth more than the rules. Even though she could be executed for breaking certain laws, those who abandon their comrades were worse than trash. Likewise, Naruto and Sasuke were worth more than her life.

"..." Sakura crawled over to where Kakashi was sitting.

She looked up at the infinite, glistening stars so far away.

* * *

闪电

* * *

The constellations made her feel like they were just ants within a giant, infinite universe. Everyone had only one life to form the bonds they did, and to waste it on the shinobi rules or the fear of death or honor...insignificant things. Once one died, everything is lost. A life protecting oneself is a life wasted. It was very simple. If she had to choose between breaking the law to save Naruto or Sasuke's life, or following the rules by letting them die...Sakura would destroy the laws. Human-made rules were nothing in face of divine law. So what if her life gets cut short? Everyone died eventually. At least she would make sure to die happily with no regrets.

It was this ideal that gave her the courage to face enemies beyond her league, and come out as the victor. Every. Single. Time.

Because while Sakura tried with all her might to fight death, she wasn't afraid to gamble her life, for the stakes were unlimited.

"I'm sorry." His voice dropped to a whisper.

_What for?_ Sakura crossed her legs and looked up at him.

Kakashi didn't turn to look at her, his eyes were glazed as he continued watching the sparkly sky. But he still spoke so softly, his voice muffled by his trademark mask that if she wasn't sitting practically against his side, she wouldn't have heard a single word.

"I let Rin die." Kakashi made a small sound between choke and a sigh. "I-...killed Rin."

Sakura's eyes widened as she stifled a gasp. She didn't know this. Obito never told her this. "W..W-What?"

Kakashi seemed to take her reaction in stride, as if playing along.

"I had no choice. Kirigakure- the Mist ninjas- t-they were chasing us. They sealed the Three Tails inside Rin- they set a timer to her seal, it was set to bomb the village. They were chasing us back to the Leaf, so I...I..."

Sakura felt her heart shake, vibrate within her chest. This time it was _her_ who was trembling. She could not imagine _Kakashi_ would kill his own teammate, _why would he do that?_ ...but now she could believe it because his circumstances and justifications were right there. She hated it and the look of disgust must have flickered briefly in her face before she gaped.

Kakashi formed the Chidori in his hand. His eyes finally had tears threatening to leak out, they reflected the lightning sizzling at his right hand.

"In the end, I protected the village." He said that like he did something terrible.

But his next sentence, shot her reflexes. Perhaps it was her Sharingan which could _predict future attacks_.

But when Kakashi gave her a look that killed her insides, when Kakashi uttered, "I _broke our promise_,"

Sakura bolted. Chakra rushing to her feet instead of her fists, Sakura shot up and tackled Kakashi, grabbing his wrist with both her hands. Wrapping her legs around his waist to keep him still, she shoved his single, burning chidori away from him, towards the ground.

The lightning impacted the earth with a giant smoking crater, and the explosion sent them flying backwards.

Burnt hair and soot all over her newly torn clothes, and seeing Kakashi in the same condition, Sakura was not very pleased when Kakashi played nonchalant upon seeing her enraged Inner Sakura manifested on her face. She pointed. "BAKA! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!"

"I was trying to demonstrate the chidori," Kakashi said creepily calmly, raising his hands in a surrender-gesture. She could see his self-deprecating smile.

Sakura jumped to her feet and clenched her fists, and glared. "You looked like you were about to commit suicide."

"Now, now, Sakura-kun, I would never do that," Kakashi then dropped his hands. "But I really did kill her. Would it be so bad?"

Sakura suddenly remembered the White Fang. A hero who committed suicide. Kakashi sees him as a hero.

The next thing Kakashi felt were firm arms around his waist and a small body pressed against him. Shocked, he felt Sakura's forehead pressed to his lower chest.

"Don't. I need you."

"S..Sa...?"

She squeezed him. "Stop thinking only about yourself. You're still needed. You have comrades you can't abandon, otherwise you'd be doing the opposite of what Uchiha Obito wants._ Focus on me_, on Naruto and on Sasuke." Sakura's shoulders shook. "You're our sensei, aren't you, Baka-Kakashi?"

...

...

..

Kakashi's hands twitched around her back, but he flinched, reluctant and afraid to touch her. He did not deserve...this. He moved his hands away, letting them drop to his sides- this one time he did not hug her back-

Undeserved redemption was the worst pain. All he sought out was atonement, _not redemption. _

Sakura shivered. "I lied. I don't have permission to be here. My parents. They're gone. So? I need you: Distract me. You broke your promise? Don't do it again, then." Sakura hiccuped. "Protect me."

There it was. Atonement. She didn't say everything was okay or that she forgave him for Rin's death; instead she gave him a duty to repent. He was still needed and he won't cave in. He wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, and it was an honorable and heroic thing to do, but he was given _something else_ to do. Basically it was the same thing he's been doing ever since taking in Team 7, but more _focused_.

This was the will of Obito.

Sakura reached into her pockets and pulled out her goggles, the very ones she wore to keep her eyes clean when she was pranking with Naruto and Sasuke and a gift from the Uchiha.

She pulled them on.

"You...are my close friend too." Sakura declared. "If it ever comes down to it, I will protect you no matter what. I think...you'd do the same." Anyone who knew Obito would. "Wouldn't you?"

Abruptly, Sakura felt big arms grab her back and felt her body shoved against his and he was finally hugging her tightly now. Her chin rested over his shoulder as she tentatively raised her hands over his back. She felt every tremble of his body and could not help but be reminded of Uchiha Obito during the night of the Massacre. It was a very familiar feeling.

Of course Obito was an impalpable ghost so there was no way she had _physically_ hugged him six years back plus Obito's body was a small pre-teen's, but she felt déjà vu. Kakashi was sobbing and murmuring apologies and thank yous and names and eternal promises and his life story which Sakura wasn't _exactly_ listening to. She just fisted and squeezed his back and felt his knee in between her thighs. Awkward position.

She heard Kakashi murmur something like "I failed to protect the girl you cherished the most. I won't fail you a second time. This time I will protect your boys. And this time you won't die early. You won't die before you confess your feelings to the one you love. I promise."

Sakura froze. Um, regarding love interests, her only crush was a ghost that was already dead! But she probably shouldn't reveal that information.

**Eheheheh**, Inner laughed awkwardly. **He probably thinks it's Sasuke or Naruto but he can't tell which one. **Inner's laugh turned mischievous until Sakura snuffed those thoughts out with a _Shut Up Inner!_

Focusing back onto Kakashi-sensei, Sakura grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back to look into his face. His silver white hair was a disheveled mess, and behind him the sun was beginning to rise. It was dawn and they'd just wasted a potential night of sleep.

"Well I've always been a morning person!" Sakura lied.

**Yeah right, Obito made you sleep during the daytime Academy classes and study/train during the nighttime in secret! **

_Shush, Inner. _

**Pfft, show some respect towards your conscious! I'm the gal you rely on to break outta top-tier genjutsu! Disrespecting me is a sign that you have terrible self esteem! **

_No, disobeying you means that I am still sane. If I listened to you from the start, I would have beat everyone up and become a detention-girl. _

**So soft! M****urder everyone and become a jail-girl instead!**

_No._

**Awwe.**

* * *

"Oh sorry, can you repeat that?" Sakura blushed and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. Kakashi was explaining something, but Sakura was too busy arguing with her Inner. Oops.

Kakashi facepalmed. "Ehh. You always did get bored around me, yawning and disrespecting my authority. Well, I guess some things never change." Kakashi sighed and weaved a finger through his feather-rough hair. "Hmm, like I said. First you have to gather chakra from your belly, and convert it into lightning-natured chakra. It also has to be from your own chakra pool. If you give it traits of your own body, it will not electrocute you. It can surge through your bloodstream. Like this."

Kakashi weaved a few hand seals, and Sakura used her Sharingan to watch: the white chakra molecules vibrated again and again until there was a lightning shock between the chakra molecules. Those chakra molecules repositioned themselves to be shaped like lightning electrons.

Kakashi let that chakra flow up to his hand, and it wrapped around his palm, the intense energy being compressed there by his own power. It made a chichichichi sound, and flashed spontaneously of blue lightning.

But upon closer inspection, the Lightning wasn't being compressed. It was merely flowing freely and wildly in a disjointed shape.

"This technique is similar yet different from the Rasengan," Kakashi-sensei explained. "I created my own Chidori because I failed to grasp Minato-sensei's jutsu. Of course I know how to do it _now_," Kakashi let his Chidori fade away as he formed a Rasengan with his other hand. "Thanks to my Sharingan. Post-humorously."

His eyes took on a glazed look at her.

"The Rasengan is both easier and harder to make. It requires three steps, whereas the Chidori only requires two. Easy, right? ...But here's the catch: the Chidori requires an elemental chakra nature change, while the Rasengan is simply pure chakra."

"Okay," Sakura nodded, "Let's get started. What do I do first?"

"I'm not done explaining. The Chidori is a highly dangerous assassination move, it's a risk to the user as well. One mess up will kill you. You need to _understand_ the concepts of the Rasengan in order to do the Chidori."

"..Oh okay...what about the Rasengan?"

Kakashi held up a finger.

Kakashi held out his right hand. "The first step is to move a large amount of chakra to the palm of your hand, as much as you can. The second step is to spin the chakra around in multiple layers of circles, like a whirlwind. It's a given that you add as much power as possible to this. The third and final step, is to compress it- apply a final layer of chakra around your whirlwind and tighten it up into a ball. This makes the chakra into a condense, concentrated power. The higher the density, the greater the power." Kakashi shoved the Rasengan into a giant rock and the other end of it exploded.

Sakura began step 1. She realized this technique resembled her chakra punches, which weren't made of concentrated spinning chakra though, just a normal release of her chakra. So she basically did her chakra-powered punch, releasing her chakra. But instead of releasing it outwards for a powerful punch, she grabbed her chakra back at the last millisecond and kept the chakra on her palm. Then she began whirling it and it blew up in her face, sending her toppling onto her butt.

"Tsk, tsk, seems like the Rasengan is too difficult for you." Kakashi chided.

Sakura groaned.

"But it's not your fault. It's not a matter of chakra control. It's that you don't have enough raw chakra amounts to use pure chakra as a sole offensive move. You're like me." Kakashi pointed a thumb at himself obsequiously making Sakura snicker.

"The good news is! If you do the same thing, but use an elemental nature instead, you won't need large amounts of chakra. Even a tiny bit of chakra, when converted into lightning-nature, is explosively powerful."

"I...see..." Sakura realized this made sense. She was usually good at the theory behind things with her big brain. "Do I need to whirl around the lightning chakra? That's the second step of the Rasengan."

"A little bit. Not much. Lightning is already offensive on its own, you don't need to spin it to make it offensive." Kakashi said. "But you can opt out of doing the third step entirely: compressing the chakra. Firstly, you can't contain electricity the way you can contain chakra inside a Rasengan; it's uncontrollable. Secondly, it _stays_ on your hand. Since the electricity from the chakra network comes out of your hand, it stays there, because it's a real time move directly controlled by you. That also means you can regulate the size of the technique by channeling the amount of chakra: you want the Chidori to be smaller? Use less chakra. Larger? Use more chakra."

Sakura pulled out her notebook and started taking notes. "Umm okay size. What about how hot it is?"

Kakashi smirked. "As for heat temperature, that does not lie in chakra amount, but chakra control and chakra nature change. It's a matter of, can your body handle it? Are you skilled enough? Will your nervous and immune system overreact? Will you screw up and electrocute yourself to heaven?"

_Yeah, gonna have to find a way to make myself immune to my own Chidori. _Sakura thought. She grinned and raised her thumbs up. "O-KAY! I've got the logic worked out! Now let's start!"

Hatake Kakashi smiled.

* * *

闪电

* * *

Shinobi's had everything to do with their natures.

**Raiton**, Lighting Nature, involved being an impulsive high-risk taker. A person not afraid to gamble her life to face overwhelming odds; a person who didn't falter, but _thrived_ in danger. A gambler, putting all at stake to achieve your goals, because your goals mean everything to you, they are worth more than your own life. Tsunade Senju was lightning-natured.

**Futon**, Wind Nature, involved sociability, and being a trusting, trustworthy, supportive friend. Someone who protects, and makes others stronger. A playful, charismatic person who has your back, one you can rely on. He is swift and makes you stronger. He is charismatic, but he is honest. Asuma Sarutobi was wind natured. Naruto too.

**Katon**, Fire Nature, invoked a greedy desire for power and status. A power-hungry need for superiority, a want to be worshipped like a king. Narcissism. Pride. Along with a need to be respected and revered, and there was a need to incinerate, raze everything to the ground to demonstrate a godly status and amuse oneself. Fire wasn't for protection, it was for destruction. Sasuke wasn't fire-natured, he was lightning-natured, which was why it took him so long and so much effort to learn his clan Fireball Jutsu. Uchiha Madara was fire-natured... Uchiha Fugaku was fire natured.

**Suiton**, Water Nature, was the opposite. It invoked a desire to heal and nurture. It had flexibility, a person could easily adapt to rapid change. Gentle, tranquil people were of water nature. Ironically, there wasn't anyone of note who had water nature in Konoha. Perhaps it could have been Sakura in another lifetime.

**Doton**, Earth Nature, involved a need for security. Cowardly, defensive. Not a gambler. A desire to be safe, to avoid all adversity and stay out of harms way. There was a reason why Doton techniques tended to be earth shields. In another lifetime, Sakura could have been earth-natured.

Theoretically, a person can switch elemental affinities, all they had to do was change their attitude.

When their attitude changes, their inclination towards a particular element changes. Of course it is a hard thing to do. That was why it was difficult to master all five elements: only a person most in-tune with their innermost Self could do it, such as Sandaime the Professor.

If Haruno Sakura hadn't met Uchiha Obito, she might have been Doton or Suiton.

But she did, and she learned that securing one's own safe over _risking_ it all to protect a comrade's life would make her worse than scum. But the seeds were planted long before that, when she first purchased her pair of glasses on impulse, risking the loss of Sasuke-kun's potential love for the exciting device. When she went lenient on her rules by taking great risks, cutting class and becoming Uzumaki Naruto's best friend in the process.

Sakura Haruno had a lightning affinity.

* * *

闪电

* * *

Her hands signed Tiger, Snake, Ram, Pig, and felt the processes that occurred to her chakra, and watched.

The chakra inside her vibrated, shivering in minuscule scales as it gained heat and pressure. Sakura finished up the last hand signs of the Chidori and felt it flow easily to the palm of her hand.

Kakashi widened his eyes. "Sakura, you pulled it off on your first try, and within five minutes..." _That should be impossible, I gave you minimum instruction and showed you only the hand signs. _His eyes said_. _

"I'm good with theory, you explained it well and demonstrated it too! I mean, I learned tree-climbing on my first try too based off a lousy explanation." Sakura excused as she pumped more lightning chakra onto her hand. She was careful to adjust the chakra in such a way that it wasn't hostile to her _own_ body, and she silently thanked Obito for training her beforehand; she knew how her body worked and could easily figure out how to make the tenketsu adapt.

The Sharingan gave good insight.

Kakashi nodded, "Well, why don't you show me then? How far you progressed."

**Yo, Forehead. This is too easy. You can do this Jutsu without hand signs. Raiton is like second-nature to you!**

Sakura charged towards an enormous, and swung her arm at it.

_Boom_.

It tore down causing more damage than a regular Chidori did. Sakura felt a feeling she was unfortunately overly familiar with- her chakra pools dropping to zero.

She would hardly see the dust cloud that blew across her and the rubble underneath her, but some of the rubble was a smoking mud-like liquid. Apparently she heated it past melting point when she punched the boulder with lightning. There were some parts untouched.

But what happened next surprised her. As soon as the boulder came tumbling down, it came to light that Sakura and Kakashi were not the only ones here.

There was someone else standing in front of her, someone who was hiding behind this particular boulder before she punched it down, and Sakura squinted through the sandy smoke to see the outline of a gourd and someone her height.

Kakashi tensed.

The smoke cloud evaporated, revealing a young, porcelain redhead with lethal teal-green eyes and uncongenial, crossed arms._ Sabaku no Gaara._ His posture looked indifferent, but his eyes were wide and psychopathic, a giant smile on his face that switched from sneer to grin to smirk to smile.

"_Pinkie_..." His voice trembled with hunger and evil. Kakashi's eyes widened. Sakura was vulnerable now. She'd just wasted all her chakra. He debated on intervening but they were within 2 feet of each other, Kakashi knew it would only worsen the situation. He held his breath.

"Uhhmm...who are y..." Sakura stared at him for five seconds, trying to remember where she'd seen this guy before. Then she remembered, the last time she saw him; he was first arriving to Konoha and had some problems with his Inner Gaara the same way she used to have with Inner Sakura. After giving him some advice about it and declaring him her friend, Sakura saw no more of Gaara. Until now.

"Oh! Now I remember! You're Gaara-kun!" A grin split her face as she held out her arms. "Sorry, I forgot about you!"

Gaara looked momentarily shocked, as if wondering why she would say such a thing.

He looked at her posture, there was nothing defensive about it either. Her arms were held out and she was standing casually, whereas he had his crossed defensively over his chest. Her fingers were inches from touching him and she seemed to be waiting for him to close in the embrace.

Things were suddenly not so amusing anymore, and his resolve faltered.

Gaara's sand came out of his gourd. Bundles of sand, hard chakra sand with Shukaku's will.

Sakura's eyes curved into n's, and it strangely matched her because she was wearing Kakashi's mask and old ANBU attire. "How's your Inner?"

"Pinkie..." Gaara's eyes took on an unreadable look that might have been regret, and the sand came floating behind her back, and around her.

_Fuck_! Kakashi was about to move, but Sakura held out a hand, her palm facing her Sensei in a 'stop' gesture.

Kakashi hesitated and it was a hesitation too long.

Kakashi knew what Gaara did to Asuma's students. His heart dropped as he watched the sand wrapped around Sakura and squeezed in.

"Eek!" Sakura gasped as the sand shaped into a giant hand behind her, and grasped her body. She was suddenly shoved up against Gaara, the smaller body pressed against her chest.

"Ohhh. This sand here are your substitute hands, since you don't like moving your real hands much!" _Well that explains things._

Gaara watched, stared at her in disbelief, as his sand pressed Sakura against his body rather than repel her.

Sakura slid her arms up around Gaara's back and pressed her cheek to the side of his head as she squeezed him back, giving his back a pat or two. She said in a softer voice, "It's good to see you again, Gaara."

Gaara leaned in to her ear. "**If I killed you, you won't see me again**."

Sakura pulled back and her lips quirked down in disgust, "Umm, why would you do that?"

"Because it feels very good to kill," Gaara answered flatly. "**And yet...it feels just as good to see you again, each time. You intrigue me. Whenever I kill someone, they are gone forever. I have no plans of stopping."**

_And now this is getting creepy,_ Sakura thought, but her muscles and limbs softened as she relaxed. If worse came to worse she could have attempted her newly-learned Chidori to break out, but she was sensing no hostility.

"**There is nothing I hate more than leaving mysteries unsolved**." Gaara remembered Yashumaru's suicide. He still had questions but the man's life ended before he had a chance to interrogate him; it was the only instance when he remotely regretted a death.

He looked back at Sakura and froze momentarily. With that thought in mind and seeing Sakura's face and their resemblance, he accidentally connected the two. Their eerily similarities. There was no fear in her eyes, only open fondness. The seed was planted.

"A mystery?" Sakura prompted, tilting her head to stare into his turquoise eyes, bitterly missing her own topaz-greens, damn she was stuck with ones that matched her old crimson dress.

"I understand** nothing** about you**; you don't have the same eyes as me. You have the same eyes as_ him_.**"

_The heck?! __Is he talking about Itachi?!_ Sakura's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

He released Sakura and clenched his unmarred fists. He withdrew his sand and left.

Sakura staring at his back...before she realized Gaara was leaving and her polite manners kicked in. Sakura waved her arm, "Bye Gaara, see you at the Tournament!"

And the Jinchuuriki paused at the edge, tilting his head and sparing one last look behind him, a smirk tugging his lip. "**I can't wait to fight you, Sa...kura,**" his voice shivered of excitement.

Sakura blinked momentarily in shock, before a grin split across her face as she gave him a thumbs-up.

In reaction, Gaara made a noise that sounded like a mixture of giggling and laughter, his stoic demeanor dropping apart.

And in a whirlwind of sand, Gaara vanished.

It somehow seemed like he was desperate to leave.

Not a millisecond later, she was tackled in by Hatake Kakashi.

* * *

.

* * *

"He said I had different eyes from him."

* * *

Kakashi grabbed Sakura's arms.

Fuck. God. Damn. He had _imagined_ it, shit. It didn't actually happen. Hell. She was still intact. Her bones were still in place. She was not bleeding, and there was not a single scratch on her that he didn't see before. Her black clothing weren't ripped, but wrinkled badly, and she was missing the clothing article that was meant to be attached to her form fitting suit. He wondered whether, during the confusion with the sand coffin false alarm, Gaara had snatched that ANBU attire of theirs. That fucking Gaara. His hands shook seeking for something to occupy them, that Icha Icha novel wasn't readily available.

And then he saw the specks of sand _still_ covering her. Those clingy remains. With his black gloves, Kakashi patted her down furiously getting rid of Gaara's sand like the plague, so focused that he didn't notice Sakura put her hand on his forehead and push him off.

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei, I'm not a little girl anymore," Sakura said, looking down and noticing that the gray ANBU flak jacket was no longer on her body, except for a few small shreds on the ground. "Wait a minute, where is my jacket?" Now all she was wearing was black.

Suddenly feeling the most hostile killer intent from her teacher, Sakura whirled onto him and proclaimed, "Gaara didn't do this!"

Kakashi's hostile chakra slowly evaporated like volcanic smoke, as he offered her a falsely sweet smile. "What makes you think that?"

"Because he wasn't trying to hurt me," Sakura explained. "He was really, extra careful with the sand..."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed and burned as he put a hand over his lids. "...he probably had a lot of human practice targets." He removed his hand from his eyes and stared at her seriously. "This is about the hundredth time you pulled a miracle out your ass. You're driving me nuts."

_Quick! Think of something intelligent to say!_ "Yes."

"How...?" Kakashi lowered his hand and tilted his head, his eye glowing red. "How is it possible?"

Sakura's lips quirked down as she raised her finger, settling into her lecture-mode. "It's not miracle-work, idiot sensei. I see every human as a human being. My friends, especially, are in my heart."

Her fist tapped her chest's left for emphasis. "We have eyes, we have mouths, we have limbs, we have internal organs, we have minds, we have feelings. I studied medical ninjutsu a lot, so I know. No matter what your rank or occupation is- civilian, criminal, Hokage, chuunin, jounin, jinchuuriki...you're still a human being." Sakura smiled.

"If you keep that lingering the back of your mind, life decisions become so much easier." Sakura's eyes curled up indicating a smile as she entwined her fingers. "Sometimes there are really nice people behind the nastiest of appearances and reputation." _Like Gaara, Zabuza and Haku...Even Naruto at one point. _ "Other times, you see a person and you think he has it all: reputation, power, money, high status, favor of the Hokage...and being next Hokage-in-line. You see him as a symbol to revere instead of a human being."

Kakashi wondered whether she was talking about him.

"You put him on a pedestal, and then you're surprised when he ruins his image."

"But it's no surprise at all, because he's not an icon, he's a person. He has emotions. He can cry, get mad, feel lonely, desire, go crazy, and frantic, have a moment of weakness. He doesn't necessarily care about the stuff society sees as valuable, he doesn't follow the path laid out for him because he's not a character from a parable. He's an actual human being, and when you think of it that way, everything suddenly begins to make sense. It's no wonder he falls outside of the things he is _supposed_ to do.

"When Orochimaru relinquishes it all and leaves the village, it has more to do with emotions than logic because it's what defines a human being: this trait that keeps us from becoming mindless tools." Sakura touched the curse mark at her neck, feeling sedatives suppressing what could have been tortuous pain. "People fear what they don't understand, but they don't bother to understand. I'm changing that belief, when I become Hokage."

Kakashi's eyes widened. She truly was the reincarnation of Uchiha Obito. There was no doubt about it, there was never any doubt to begin with. She was the same age as the age he died...and she believed in the same things he had...

"Empathy...I see...I see why it's so rare.." Kakashi said gently. "Most of your actions involve stepping outside what most would consider their comfort zone...but it works."

Sakura grinned in triumph. This little break allowed her body the time to restore her chakra reserves.

"Haruno Sakura, you would make the greatest Hokage the world has ever seen." He said it so sincerely like he was going to support her with everything he had. Of course he would. She was his Obito in his eyes.

Sakura liked the amazed tone and it made her feel confident. She couldn't help but give Kakashi a thumbs-up that reminded him of Maito Gai's nice guy pose (which she learned from Rock Lee.)

"And I'm gonna get my trademark goggles AND my Sharingan carved into my mountainside image! Then I'll be able to glare at the other villages!"

"Heheheheh," Kakashi guffawed over laughing. It was fascinating how she could sound like a wise elder his age one second and a complete child the next. "You can't have both!"

"I'll carve these eyes_ over_ the goggles!"

As Kakashi hunched over and bellowed louder at that, making her face turn beet red, Sakura remembered something and ran to the camp site she set up.

She came back and thrust a makeup mirror into Kakashi-sensei's hands. "Kakashi! Your Sharingan."

Kakashi peered into his eye. It had three tomoe but when he tried 'activating' it, the commas shaped into four-pinwheels. It was nothing new, it's happened before. Perhaps Sakura caught a glimpse of this occurrence for the first time and wanted to point it out to him, so he told her so.

"No, Baka Sensei! Look at my clothes! All I've got on is this ANBU undershirt and nothing else. And don't blame it on Gaara, he's nice! Y_ou_ did this. Gaara can't make things disappear out of nowhere!" Sakura pointed up at his eye accusingly.

Kakashi blinked. But..it was true that he wanted with all his soul to grab Sakura away from that danger but couldn't move from his spot or it would get her crushed before he reached her in time. He wouldn't say it aloud but she apparently guessed it regardless.

"Sensei, you need more practice. You only scratched me on the surface."

Kakashi's eye twitched. "And _you_ need to practice your lame jutsu, '_Future Hokage-sama._'"

"Um..Uh..!" Sakura sweatdropped. "I already know how to do the Chidori perfectly!"

"True, but quantity over quality," he said ironically. "You can pull only_ one_ Chidori before you exhaust your chakra levels, maybe two if you practiced for three weeks straight. I can do four." He reminded her, and then he walked to the pile with his belongings and took out his new Icha Icha novel and started reading. "Hmh. There's nothing more I could help you with, Sakura."

**Yeah right! You're just being lazy! I bet you're going to come back pestering me with something else to learn later! Shannaro!** Inner Sakura chanted.

Sakura huffed, and turned back to the practice.

Then she'd feel boredom and uncomfortable energy-sapping from doing the same Chidori over and over again, and begin to try smaller bits of lightning instead- to conserve energy...basically developing her own easier-to-use modifications.

* * *

闪电

* * *

And when the month was over, they would return back to Konoha, to reunite with her team and friends and discover that she wasn't the only one who's grown leaps and bounds.

It was pure**_ brilliance_**, everyone and everything. _Glory, happiness, friends, cheers, reunions, promotions, hugs and laughter._ Everything was going great.

Except her Curse Mark.

* * *

闪电

* * *

**A/N: Trivia**: Which characters do you want to see more of?


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